Distribution of content

ABSTRACT

Among other things, publishers of digital content are enabled each to define, for each of one or more digital content items, a style in which the digital content item is to be presented to a user and a condition under which the user may have the digital content item presented. The digital content items are stored in a content library, the styles and conditions associated with the digital content items are stored in a server. Each of the digital content items is enabled to be presented to users within presentation contexts that are accessible to the users and controlled by presentation context providers. The presentation of the digital content items includes obtaining the digital content items from the server and controlling the presentation to occur under the conditions and in the styles defined by the publishers.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This description relates to distribution of content.

BACKGROUND

The well-publicized growth in the use of the Internet generally has beenparalleled by an equivalent growth in the number of publishers creatingtext and graphical content for the Internet. Unlike past mass mediumssuch as that of television, radio, and newspaper where it can be costprohibitive to reach large numbers of consumers, the Internet hasenabled any publisher to deliver content anywhere in the world atvirtually no cost. This radical shift in the economics of text andgraphical publishing resulted in tens of millions of websites. While agreat deal of any specific content has limited application to awide-range of the population, the key is that it has become highlycost-effective to create and publish content with vertical orspecialized focus, and it is this factor that has made the Internet sucha powerful and compelling medium for consumers. Rather than sit idly infront of a broadcast, mass-medium television, consumers sit at theirpersonal computers and query a search engine to find the topics thatinterest them, no matter how arcane or specialized those topics mightbe.

More recently, we have witnessed the slow but steady growth ofcommercial video services on the Internet. In particular, the range andnumber of video publishers offering fee-based and ad-supported streamingvideo services has begun to grow. The massive investmenttelecommunications companies made in the last several years inconnectivity and broadband capability has begun to pay off. Broadbandpenetration has reached a critical mass where the economics of broadbanddelivery and access are now feasible. At the same time, the increasingsophistication of digital editing, compression and encodingtechnologies, and the limitations of ordinary cable and broadcastdistribution, has set the stage for an explosive growth in the creationof, and demand for, the delivery of video and other digital content overthe Internet.

A broad range of TV brands and cable networks have begun to expand theiruse of the Internet with advertising and subscription supportedstreaming products. Largely these efforts have been experimental, and interms of the overall market of mainstream networks, this represents atiny percentage of the available suppliers. Additionally, there alreadyexists a wave of next-tier providers and producers who currently do nothave carriage on cable or satellite who will look to this new opendistribution channel as a means to monetize their media.

As the economics and enabling technologies of video distribution on theInternet progresses, the creation of video and other digital content forInternet delivery will experience a similar growth as was seenpreviously in the creation of specialized text and graphical content.Serving these needs is a primary purpose of the Invention.

SUMMARY

In general, in one aspect, publishers of digital content are enabledeach to define, for each of one or more digital content items, a stylein which the digital content item is to be presented to a user and acondition under which the user may have the digital content itempresented. The digital content items are stored in a content library,the styles and conditions associated with the digital content items arestored in a server. Each of the digital content items is enabled to bepresented to users within presentation contexts that are accessible tothe users and controlled by presentation context providers. Thepresentation of the digital content items includes obtaining the digitalcontent items from the server and controlling the presentation to occurunder the conditions and in the styles defined by the publishers.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Thepublishers are provided with a selection of predefined templates thatcan be customized. The publishers may create their own templates thatcan access the content library. The publishers generate a package thatincludes one or more of the digital content items; the package includesat least one of a rental, subscription, pay-to-own, and a discountapplied to a bundle of content items including the media product. Thepublisher pays the cost of distribution and delivery. Each of thedigital content items is arranged as streaming video or music, or as adownloadable file. The styles define a user experience.

In general, in another aspect, a party that controls a digitalpresentation context that is accessible to users can permit inclusion inthe presentation context of a presentation content code, thepresentation content code being configured to present digital contentitems to the users within the presentation context. The presentationcontent code is configured to control the presentation of each of thedigital content items in accordance with the defined style andcondition. The party that controls the digital presentation context ispaid for permitting the inclusion of the presentation content code inthe presentation context.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Thedigital content items are delivered to a user operating the presentationcontext in response to receiving the presentation content code. To theuser, the digital content appears to be originating directly from thepresentation context.

In general, in another aspect, a user or an aggregator aggregates setsof digital content items, which have been offered as publishersubscriptions by publishers, to form custom subscriptions. Revenue isderived from presentation of the custom subscriptions. At least portionsof the revenue are distributed to the publishers. The derivation anddistribution of revenue is adjusted to reflect volume discounts definedby the publishers with respect to volume of usage by the users forrespective digital content items or respective publisher subscriptions.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Atleast one of the custom subscriptions spans at least two differentpublishers. A custom subscription is priced according to multiplepricing models that are linked to characteristics of different users whohave purchased one or more digital content items of a customsubscription. Characteristics include at least one of an interest in aparticular topic, and a user's impression of the quality of a publisher.

In general, in another aspect, a first user electronically refers adigital content item to a second user. In connection with the referral,a publisher of the digital content item controls a context in which anda financial condition under which the digital content item may bepresented to the other user.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Thesecond user is prompted to register if the second user is not aregistered member. A preview of the digital content item is sent to thesecond user with instructions for purchasing the digital content item.

In general, in another aspect, a server maintains information aboutrights of users to receive presentations of digital content items. Eachof the users can receive presentations of the digital content items forwhich the user has rights from the server at any time at any locationand on any one of a variety of presentation devices including personalcomputers, notebook computers, portable video players, digital versatiledisk players, and televisions. The users have customizable tools forviewing the presentations. A payment is received in exchange for therights.

In general, in another aspect, digital content items of publishers arestored together with information, defined by the publisher, that enableseach of the content items to be presented to users through any one of avariety of presentation channels that each provides a presentationcontext under the control of a presentation context provider.Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Thechannels include at least one of web browser, networked television,email, instant messaging, rich site summary, and short message service.The content items are indexed using the information defined by thepublisher to form a catalog index. A search tool provides information inthe catalog index to a user according to searching criteria defined bythe user. The information defined by the publisher includes at least oneof: a name, date of production, description of content and anidentification number.

In general, in another aspect, a central service enables publishers topublish digital content items through the service directly at retail forpresentation to users for compensation. The central service also enablesthe publishers to electronically establish relationships with affiliatesto permit the publishers to publish the digital content items throughthe service and the affiliates indirectly at wholesale for presentationby the affiliates to the users for compensation.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Thepublishers can grant and restrict access to digital content items foraffiliates. The affiliates have access to a list of digital contentitems that are available to them from each of the publishers. Theaffiliates define packages of the digital content items. The packagesinclude at least one of a rental, subscription, purchase, and a discountapplied to a bundle of media content items. The affiliates definepackages of the digital content items, wherein the affiliate pays thecost of distribution and delivery and the publisher is compensated forthe usage and viewing of the digital content items.

In general, in another aspect, a publisher defines custom digitalcontent packages each including one or more digital content items. Thedefinition of each of the digital content packages includes the contextand conditions under which the digital content package may be presentedto a given user. The presentation of each of the digital content itemsto users is controlled based on the characteristics of the user orcontext in which the presentation is made and on the conditions for thepresentation. Compensation passes from the users to the publishers forthe presentations. Different packages are defined to enable thepublisher to garner revenue, users, contexts, and conditions lyingacross a full range of a demand curve for the digital content items.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Apublisher defines titles for the one or more digital content items. Thetitles include metadata that provides information about at least one ofa: content, quality, and condition of the media product. The publisherorganizes the titles as a lineup. The publisher inserts advertisementsprovided by advertising entities into the digital content package andgarners revenue from the advertising entities.

In general, in another aspect, a presentation content provider, whichelectronically provides a presentation context to users, can permit thepresentation context to include a publicly available presentationcontent code that enables a presentation to users of digital contentitems that are controlled by one or more publishers. The presentation ismade under financial conditions and in a presentation style that isdefined by the publishers. The presentation content provider iscompensated for permitting the presentation content code to be includedin the presentation context.

Implementations may include one or more of the following features. Thepresentation context includes advertisements that generate advertisementrevenue. The presentation content provider shares a portion of theadvertisement revenue. The presentation content provider shares aportion of revenue collected from payments made by users to receive thedigital content items.

Other aspects include methods, systems, apparatus, program products,means for performing actions, and other combinations of the featuresmentioned above and other features.

Other advantages and features will become apparent from the followingdescription, and from the claims.

DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a content distribution system;

FIG. 2 shows a block diagram of a media content distribution system infurther detail;

FIG. 3 shows a block diagram of a client computer in the media contentdelivery system shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram of another client computer in the mediacontent delivery system shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of another client computer in the mediacontent delivery system shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 shows a block diagram of a service platform in the media contentdelivery system shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 shows a flowchart of a process for provisioning and publishingmedia content;

FIGS. 8-24 show screenshots of exemplary tools provided by the publisherconsole for performing the process described in FIG. 7;

FIGS. 25-40 show screenshots of exemplary advertising templates; and

FIGS. 41-46 show screenshots of exemplary players.

FIGS. 47-53 show a database schema used in the content library shown inFIGS. 1-2.

As shown in broad terms in FIG. 1, in a content distribution system 10,content (for example, a video clip) can be presented (in some casesinteractively) to a user 12 in a presentation aperture 13 (e.g., arectangular window) within a broader presentation context 15 (e.g., aweb page). The presentation context 15 may be provided by a presentationcontext application 17 (for example, a browser). The presentationaperture 13 may be provided by a presentation content code 19 (say, asnippet of code that implements a media player) that runs in cooperationwith the presentation context application 17. The presentation context15 is delivered from a presentation server 11 (e.g., a web server). Thecontent, style, and terms of use of the presentation context 15 aredetermined by a presentation context provider 21 that controls thepresentation server 11 (e.g., a merchant that hosts a web site).

The content presented to the user 12 in the presentation aperture 13 isprovided from a content distributor 31 which maintains a content library32 of stored items of content 23 packaged for presentation through thepresentation content code 19. The creation of the packaged content items23 is controlled by one or more publishers 22 that have access to rawcontent items 29 which they either control themselves or can obtain fromother content sources 27. For example, the content distributor 31 couldbe a party that is independent of any presentation context provider 21,publisher 22, other content source 27, or user 12. The contentdistributor 31 could serve as a central market maker or clearinghousefor packaged content items 23 under a profit-yielding business model.

The publishers 22 could be, for example, owners of video material andthe raw content items 29 could be raw video files. The other contentsources 27 could be advertisers. The publishers 22 could be anyone whohas raw content items 29 to distribute, including individuals.

In some implementations of the system shown in FIG. 1, the publishers22—not the content distributor 31 or the presentation context provider21—determine not only which raw content items 29 to include in thepackaged content items 23 but also the style and terms under which thepackaged content items 23 are provided through the presentation aperture13 to the user 12. Style could include anything that defines the user12's experience, including graphical features, sound features, inclusionof non-video elements such as text or still images, and interactivefeatures. Terms could include the price and other conditions under whichthe presentation is made to the user 12 and the time period during whichthe presentation would be available, for example.

The system shown in FIG. 1 could be implemented in the context of avariety of business models in which revenue is derived from variousparties. Publishers 22 may pay for the opportunity to have packagedcontent items 23 made available to users 12 through the presentationaperture 13. Users 12 may pay for the presentation of packaged contentitems. The presentation context provider 21 may pay for the ability tooffer the packaged content items 23 of one or more publishers 22.Advertisers may pay for the placement of advertisements as part of thepackaged content items 23.

Portions of the revenue could be paid to various parties. The publishers22 may be paid for packaged content items 23 that they provide. Thepresentation context providers 21 may be paid for permitting advertisingor content items to be delivered to users 12. The users 12 may be paidfor agreeing to make themselves subject to content items andadvertising, or, in effect, for subjecting themselves to a large volumeof content items or advertising. The content distributor 31 may be paidfor serving as the central market maker or clearinghouse, for storingpackaged content items 23, for managing the flow of revenue andpayments, and for other activities.

Financial arrangements that implement the business models may begoverned by routine and automated processes, for example, theregistration of new users 12 and new publishers, or by negotiationbetween, for example, a publisher 22 and a particular presentationcontext provider 21. Presentation context providers 21 that agree toparticipate and permit packaged content items 23 to be presented tousers 12 may be known as affiliates. For example, a web site portaldevoted to skiing could agree to include a presentation aperture 13 onits web site for a publisher 22 of ski videos and the financialarrangement between them may be negotiated. The web site portal thenbecomes an affiliate of the system.

The content distributor 31 can provide the medium for exchange of therevenue and payments contemplated by each business model throughfinancial management processor 25.

The system shown in FIG. 1 enables any publisher 22, includingindividuals, to easily distribute packaged content items 23 to any user12 anywhere in the world and to control the style and terms (andtherefore the business model) under which the user 12 is given access.Affiliates and other presentation context providers 21 can providepackaged content items 23 of interest to their users 12 with essentiallyno effort and the prospect of generating additional revenue. Users 12are exposed to a broader and deeper range of packaged content items 23and can take advantage of them at different costs under a variety ofbusiness models.

A wide variety of implementations of the system are possible. Thecontent items need not be video but could be any kind of digital item,including text, images, sounds, and software. The presentation context15 need not be a web page but could be any presentation that is suitablefor the content being presented and the hardware device on which thepresentation is being made, for example, a notebook computer, aworkstation, a kiosk, a telephone, or any other portable or handhelddevice. The content need not be delivered through an IP network but canbe conveyed in any manner and by any medium that content can be storedor transmitted.

The remaining sections of the document describe the implementation ofthese techniques and other features of the system in greater detail.

The part entitled System Overview provides a description of the overallcontent distribution system shown in FIG. 2 and describes how differentcomponents of the system interact with each other.

The section of that part entitled Overview of Client Platforms describesthe hardware and software functions of the user, publisher, andaffiliate client platforms shown in FIGS. 3-5, respectively. Thesub-section entitled User Platform describes the hardware and softwareof the user's client computer; the sub-section entitled PublisherPlatform describes the hardware and software of the publisher's clientcomputer and introduces the publisher console; and the sub-sectionentitled Affiliate Platform describes the hardware and software of theaffiliate's client computer and introduces the affiliate console.

The section entitled Service Platform describes the hardware andsoftware of the service platform shown in FIG. 6. The service platformis maintained by the content distributor and includes various softwareand hardware components for provisioning and distributing content items.The subsections within the Service Platform section describe each of themain software and hardware components and their functionality. Thesesubsections are entitled Content Library, Three-tier Platform, VideoStreaming Platform, Media Delivery Platform, Media Indexing Module,Search Tool, Content Delivery Engine, Financial Management Processor,Messaging Module, Personalization Module, and Reporting Module.

The section entitled Provisioning and Publishing Content Items describesthe processes by which publishers, through the publisher console, uploadand package content items and define a viewer experience for presentingthe content items to a user in connection with the flowchart shown inFIG. 7. This section includes: a subsection entitled Registration thatdescribes the process for registering a publisher with the service andcreating an account; a subsection entitled Walk-through Presentationthat describes a process by which the system provides a “walk-through”(shown in the initial dashboard of FIG. 8) on how the publisher is touse the online programming and selling environment; a subsectionentitled Uploading Content that describes the process by which apublisher uploads content to the service platform using a mediamanagement screen shown in FIGS. 9-10; a subsection entitled TitleGeneration that describes the process by which a publisher creates,edits, and manages titles of media content using a title managementscreen and a title editing screen (shown in FIG. 11 and FIG. 12) fordefining and editing titles; a subsection entitled Lineup Generationthat describes a process by which a publisher defines ordered lists oftitles, referred to as “lineups” using a lineup management screenprovided by the publisher console; a subsection entitled PlayerDefinition that describes a process by which the publisher defines aplayer through which titles and lineups are presented according to aviewer experience using a player management screen shown in FIG. 13, aplayer editing screen shown in FIG. 14, and a template selection screenshown in FIG. 15 for selecting a player template from a selection ofdefault player templates, examples of which are shown in FIGS. 16-19, astyle editing screen shown in FIG. 20 for customizing the look and feelof the player, a content editing screen shown in FIG. 21 for selectingthe content to be presented in the player, and a preview screen shown inFIG. 23 for previewing the player; and a subsection entitled PublishingPlayer that describes a process by which the publisher or any user canincorporate the player into their web page by inserting a presentationcontent code provided by the service platform. FIG. 24 shows an exampleof a presentation content code.

The section entitled Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing describes thetools provided to publishers that enable them to market their productofferings within the service platform network, including the publisher'swebsites or affiliate websites, and externally through marketingpartners, customer messaging, and search engines. This section includesa subsection entitled User Notification that describes built-inmechanisms provided to publishers to notify users when new content itemsand services become available; a subsection entitled Keyword Biddingthat describes tools provided to the publisher for managing and biddingon keywords and paid listings in search engines; a subsection entitledAdvertisement-Supported Content that describes a feature of the servicethat enables advertising to be integrated with packaged content items; asubsection entitled Advertisement Insertion Tools that describe toolsthat enable the publisher to define the placement and accepted formatsof advertising in a player; and a subsection entitled AdvertisingTemplates that describes a selection of advertising templates, examplesof which are shown in FIGS. 25-40, in which a publisher or advertisermay place video, banner, logo, or any other graphic or textualadvertisement or promotional content and from the advertising templates,define the players shown in FIGS. 37-46; and a subsection entitled AdRenditions that describes different renditions of ads that can be servedto a user 12 based on the method that the user views the ad (e.g. videostreaming).

The section entitled User Experience describes various features of auser experience and the process by which a user interacts with theservice. This section includes a subsection entitled Desktop Client thatdescribes the features of a desktop client application that provides anenhanced entertainment experience; a subsection entitled ServicePlatform Features that describes features made available to a userthrough the service platform; a subsection entitled Account Managementthat describes account management service provided to the user forregistering with the system and creating and managing an account; asubsection entitled Television that describes the user functions thatare available through a television interface; a subsection entitledDownload of Content that describes various mechanism by which theservice delivers downloaded files to a user; and a subsection entitledCommunities of Interest that describes the community-oriented toolsprovided by the service to help users to share information regarding acontent item with others.

A second part entitled Revenue Models provides a description of variousrevenue models that are supported by the content distribution system.The chapter includes a section entitled User Pays that describes arevenue model based on money collected from users. The differentmechanisms by which revenue is collected from users are described in thesubsections entitled Subscriptions, Rentals, Purchases, and Bundles. Thesubsection entitled Pricing and Payment describes different methods bywhich a publisher prices content items and mechanisms by which users payfor those content items. For example, as described in the sub-subsectionentitled Demand Curve Model, a publisher can set the price of a packageaccording a demand curve model and multiple pricing models that arelinked to characteristics of different users (e.g., the interest of theuser in particular topics and the user's impression of the quality ofthe publisher, etc.).

The section entitled Publisher Pays describes a revenue model basedsolely on money paid by the publisher for use of the service. Thesection includes a subsection entitled Listing Fees that describes thetypes of listing fees paid by publishers to use the service; asubsection entitled Activation describes the process by which apublisher activates publisher pays economics; a subsection entitled UserAccess describes various options available to a publisher forrestricting access a users access to content items; a subsectionentitled Usage Reports that describes the types of reports provided tothe publisher that detail usage and invoice data associated with thepublisher's content items.

The section entitled Affiliate Pays describes a revenue model basedsolely on money paid by the affiliate as fee to use content provided bypublishers.

The section entitled Advertising Supported Content describes a revenuemodel based on advertising.

The third part entitled Business Models describes various businessmodels supported by the content distribution system and the flow ofmoney in accordance with the applicable business model. The businessmodels are described in the sections entitled Open Marketplace andFederated Marketplace. Various features of the federated marketplacebusiness model are described in the subsections: Federated Delivery,Federated Identity, Affiliate Relationships, and Revenue Sharing.

The fourth part entitled Components of the Content Distribution Systemdescribes various technical implementations of the content distributionsystem.

I. System Overview

The content distribution system 10 shown in FIG. 2 supports a variety ofbusiness models that enable publishers to publish, package, brand, andsell video and other content items (also called assets) through theirown presentation contexts 15 (e.g., websites) and optionally through amarketplace of suppliers (referred to as affiliates). The term serviceincludes all of the features, systems, and methods described here forenabling publication and delivery of content by any party.

The content distribution system 10 includes a service platform 30maintained by the content distributor 31, client computers 14, 18, and26, a network 36 (e.g., the Internet) that delivers data between theclient computers 14, 18, and 26 controlled by publishers 22, affiliates24, and users 12, and a content delivery network (CDN) 34 that deliversdata on behalf of the service platform 30 to the client computer 14.

The publisher console 20 is a user 12 interface through which apublisher 22 at a client computer 18 interacts with the service platform30. Using the publisher console 20, a publisher 22 registers with theservice platform 30, which in turn assigns a unique publisheridentification number to the publisher 22, and uploads assets to theservice platform 30. The service platform 30 associates the assets withthe publisher's identification number and stores the assets in thecontent library 32. The assets may include video, image, audio files,and any other kind of media content.

In connection with uploading, the publisher 22 can define and createpackaged content items 23 from the assets uploaded into the serviceplatform 30 and publisher 22 supplied metadata. The publisher 22 cancreate a range of commerce-enabled packaging options on their packagedcontent items 23, including: subscription packages that provide monthlyand annual billing with constraints on available programming for theuser 12; pay-per-view and purchase-to-own options with micro-paymentbilling on individual titles; and advertising supported media, includingtools to easily insert and manage a set of rich media advertisingformats, including interactive and video advertisements. The publisher22 specifies the prices for accessing, renting, or purchasing orsubscribing to packaged content items 23, and discounts that may applyto volume usage or other promotional mechanics. Publishers are also ableto participate in a dynamic bundling system in which they can offertheir content items as part of consumer self-packaged bundles ofprogramming. The publisher 22 may choose to be pay listing fees for allcosts associated with the distribution of packaged content items 23.Publishers 22 may grant access to their packaged content items 23 toaffiliates 24. The affiliate 24 may in turn act as a distributionchannel for consumer transactions or advertising on the behalf ofpublishers 22. An affiliate 24 may request the right to syndicate andpay publishers 22 for the privilege of delivering the publishers 22packaged content items 23. The service collects revenue from publishersin the form of listing fees, from consumers in the form of payment foraccessing content items, from affiliates 24 in the form of syndicationfees, and from advertisers in the form of payments for performance-basedadvertising inventory. Gross revenues from consumers, syndication feesand advertisers are shared among affiliates, publishers, and theservice.

In the publisher console 20, the publisher 22 defines a framework fordisplaying the uploaded assets and packaged content items 23 to a user12. This framework is referred to as a “viewer experience” and is anexample of the presentation style referred to with respect to FIG. 1. Aviewer experience may include the order in which (e.g., as a videolineup or an audio play list) packaged content items 23 are presentedand the display of the economic terms for accessing, renting, orpurchasing packaged content items 23. A viewer experience may alsoassociate various images with video clips such that when a user 12 runsa video clip, the client device displays a corresponding image. Theviewer experience can be implemented as a Flash Macromedia® program orany other program for authoring and delivering multimedia.

The service platform 30 assigns an identification number to the player(that is, to a package of content and related viewer experienceinformation) and returns the number to the publisher console 20. Thepublisher console 20 then presents a presentation content code 19 to thepublisher 22 that includes any identification numbers required topresent the viewer experience to a user 12. When the presentationcontent code 19 is embedded in the publisher's web page (or any otherparty's web page such as an affiliate 24 or a user 12), the mediacontent identified by the presentation content code 19 can be viewedwithin the web page in the manner specified by the publisher 22. Thepublisher 22 may provide the presentation content code 19 to affiliatesor other parties for embedding in their web pages, either understandardized commercial deals mediated automatically by the system oraccording to negotiated arrangements. The presentation content code 19enables an affiliate web page to retrieve the assets from the serviceplatform 30 and deliver it to a user 12 according to the viewerexperience defined for the assets and packaged content items 23.

Using the publisher console 20, the publisher 22 also managesrelationships with an affiliate 24. In some embodiments, the publisherconsole 20 provides the publisher 22 with a list of affiliates who havepermission to access various assets. The publisher 22 may edit the listto include additional affiliates or to change the permissions granted toexisting affiliates.

Similar to the publisher console 20, the affiliate console 28 is a user12 interface through which an affiliate 24 at a client computer 26interacts with the service platform 30. Using the affiliate console 28,the affiliate 24 can view the packaged content items 23 and viewerexperiences to which the affiliate 24 has been granted accesspermissions and the terms of agreement. In some embodiments, theaffiliate console 28 enables the affiliate 24 to request access topackaged content items 23 and viewer experiences belonging to apublisher 22 and to propose terms for a deal. The terms of the dealbetween the publisher 22 and the affiliate 24 may be determined byinteraction through the affiliate console 28 and the publishing console20.

A user 12 at a client computer 14 accesses publishers' and affiliates'web pages over the communications network 36 using a web browser program(e.g., Internet Explorer® or Firefox®). For example, the user 12 couldprovide the web browser with a Universal Resource Locators (URL) of adesired web page. When the user 12 opens a web page in which thepresentation content code 19 has been embedded, the code sends theidentification numbers to the service platform 30. From theidentification numbers, the service platform 30 determines the assetsand corresponding viewer experience that are to be supplied to the webpage.

The client computer 14 includes a multimedia player 16 (e.g., a FlashMacromedia® player) for viewing the assets according to the definedviewer experience. After the multimedia player 16 launches, it invokesthe service platform 30 to transmit the assets and viewer experiencefrom the service platform 30 and/or the CDN 34. The service platform 30returns a player component that contains information about the assets,packaged content items 23 and viewer experience. The multimedia player16 uses the player component to fetch the catalog meta-data and assetsfrom the service platform 30 and the CDN 34 and then presents the assetswithin the web page in accordance with the viewer experience. Theservice platform 30 may also allow a publisher 22 to leverage geographictargeting capabilities to fine-tune the availability of content todifferent target audiences.

The CDN 34 provides optimal performance on downloads and videostreaming. In some embodiments, the CDN 34 is provided by vendors suchas Akamai who handle scaling global media delivery and includeadditional tools, such as Akamai's EdgePlatform.

A. Overview of Client Platforms

1. User Platform

FIG. 3 depicts a block diagram of a client computer 14 at which a user12 views assets provided by the service platform 30. In some examples,client computer 14 may be any type of web-enabled apparatus or systemincluding but are not limited to a desktop computer, a laptop computer,a mainframe computer, a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant(“PDA”), and a controller embedded in an otherwise non-computing device.The client computer 14 contains one or more processor(s) 40 (referred tosimply as “processor 40”) and memory 42 for storing software 44. Theprocessor 40 executes software 44, which includes a Web clientapplication 46, a multimedia player 16, an asset managing module 54, andoperating software 48. The Web client application 46 includes one ormore routines used in implementing the TCP/IP protocol, which allows theclient computer 14 to communicate over the Internet 36 and over the CDN34. The operating software 48 includes an operating system 50, such asWindows XP®, and a context presentation application 17, such as InternetExplorer®.

In some embodiments, the client computer 14 is a Web client that is partof a Web-based environment and the multimedia player 16 is a FlashPlayer runtime that is compatible with different operating systems andweb browsers. In some embodiments, the client computer is a desktopcontainer application that utilizes presentation technology availablefrom Maven Networks Inc. And the multimedia player 16 is a combinationof a Flash® player and a Windows Media® player. The multimedia player 16enables a user 12 to interact with the assets provided by the serviceplatform 30. The multimedia player 16 presents the assets from web pagesbelonging to a publisher 22 or an affiliate 24 of the publisher 22. Insome embodiments, the multimedia player 16 is launched directly from apublisher's or affiliate's web page.

In some embodiments, the multimedia player 16 is based on MacromediaFlash Player 7, which is currently distributed on the Web, and supportsFlash 7 video. In other embodiments, the multimedia player 16 is aMacromedia Flash Player 8 that supports Flash 8 video.

A consumer services module 54 provides a user 12 with a variety ofweb-based and desktop tools to enable consumers to find, aggregate,download, stream, and share content from multiple publishers. Theconsumer services module 54 also provides a variety of community toolsfor rating and reviewing content, sampling selected content (whereenabled by the publisher) and remixing content to share with friends(where enabled by the publisher).

2. Publisher Platform

FIG. 4 depicts a block diagram of a client computer 18 at which apublisher 22 interacts with the service platform 30. Client computer 18may be any type of web-enabled apparatus or system. Examples of suchapparatuses or systems include, but are not limited to, a desktopcomputer, a laptop computer, a mainframe computer, a cellular telephone,a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), and a controller embedded in anotherwise non-computing device. The client computer 18 contains one ormore processor(s) 40 (referred to simply as “processor 40”) and memory42 for storing software 44. The processor 40 executes software 44, whichincludes a Web client application 46, a publisher console 20, a softwaredevelopment kit (“SDK”) 60, and operating software 48. The Web clientapplication 46 includes one or more routines used in implementing theTCP/IP protocol, which allows the client computer 14 to communicate overthe Internet 36. The operating software 48 includes an operating system50, such as Windows XP®, and a Context presentation application 17, suchas Internet Explorer®.

a. Publisher Console

The publisher console 20 is a browser-based rich internet applicationthat provides the user 12 interface to work with all of the servicesprovided by the service platform 30. A publisher 22 accesses thepublisher console 20 by providing a secure password. Using the publisherconsole 20, the publisher 22 uploads assets to the service platform 30and manages their distribution and delivery. In some embodiments, theassets are delivered by a third party post-production firms whichprovide turnkey encoding and uploading directly into the serviceplatform 30.

The publisher console 20 includes an upload client that enhances thespeed and reliability of the uploading of assets. In some embodiments,the upload client enables simultaneous uploading of multiple files. Insome embodiments, files are uploaded in a batch using file transferprotocol (FTP) along with an extended markup language (XML) manifestwhich describes the files. The files are then automatically stored intothe publisher's account.

The assets are identified by their name or other unique identifier.Within the publisher console 20, the publisher 22 assigns uploadedassets to titles. A title includes metadata that provides informationabout the content, quality, condition, and other characteristics of theassets. A title may include, for example, a name that identifies thecontent of the asset(s), a name of the producer/publisher that owns thetitle, the date on which the title was created, and the length of theasset.

Within the publisher console 20, the publisher 22 defines the viewerexperience for presenting the titles to a user 12. The presentation ofthe titles according to the viewer experience is done by a “player”which is initiated by the presentation content code 19 of FIG. 1.Players enable a user 12 to interact with video in the service. Playerslive inside a variety of destinations including: web pages belonging tothe party providing the service platform 30, affiliates' web pages, andpublisher's web pages. On a publisher's web page, the publisher 22controls all the programming in each of their players using a number ofmechanisms. The publisher console 20 provides the publisher 22 withconfigurable templates that support a wide variety of player sizes andlayouts. The publisher 22 may place players anywhere they want on theirweb pages, and they have strong control over the look and feel as wellas the content in each of the players.

In some embodiments, the publisher 22, affiliate, or user 12 can developtheir own custom player that integrates with the service platform 30.These custom players rely upon a set of application programminginterfaces (“APIs”) that expose functionality of the service platform.In some embodiments these APIs may be exposed as SOAP-based web servicesor Flash Remoting APIs.

After the publisher 22 finishes defining a player, the publisher 22incorporates the player into their web site using a presentation contentcode 19 provided by the publisher console 20. The publisher console 20provides the publisher 22 with a presentation content code 19 thatcontains a player ID for the player. When the presentation content code19 is placed in a publisher's (or affiliate's) web page, the browserdisplaying the web page can retrieve the player from the serviceplatform 30 and present the player to a user 12. The player that ispresented to a user 12 and the media presented by the player is servedby the service platform 30 or the CDN 34. Changing the player IDprovided in the presentation content code 19 changes the player that isloaded from the service platform 30.

The publisher console 20 provides the publisher 22 with programmingtools that control programming of assets and titles in a player.Examples of programming include (a) lineups, (b) fixed play, and (c)page-based programming. Within the publisher console 20, publishers 22can define a lineup. A lineup is a collection of titles that can beorganized by a number of mechanisms, including but not limited to thefollowing forms: titles can be explicitly ordered; titles can bydynamically grouped based on a range of query parameters; titles can beorganized in a hierarchy categories; titles can be sorted by commonmetadata. Fixed play programming combines content and layout into asingle player experience. Fixed play programming is advantageous insituations where the lineup of titles is fixed or the number of titlesis very small. The content is specified when the player is created inthe publisher console 20 by associating a specific video title with theplayer. For page-based programming, when a player is called from a webpage, the call to the player can specify the title(s) or lineup(s) thatthe player will display. Through this mechanism, a publisher 22 can usethe content management system that controls the text and graphic contentin their websites to control the content that is delivered through theplayer in their website. Assets can be referenced by their uniqueidentification numbers assigned by the service platform 30 or by adifferent identification number that is specified by the publisher 22when the title is created.

The publisher 22 is provided with a software development kit 60 (SDK) tofacilitate Web Services (i.e. SOAP or Flash Remoting) integration andcustom Flash development. The SDK 60 enables the publisher 22 to createdintegrated brand experiences through their existing websites. The SDK 60includes most, if not all, the main functions and services provided bythe service platform 30 (e.g. search & browse, preview, accountmanagement, purchase, payment, streamed content viewing, and downloaddelivery, as well as rating, review and messaging functions).

3. Affiliate Platform

FIG. 5 depicts a block diagram of a client computer 26 at which anaffiliate 24 interacts with the service platform 30. The client computer26 may be, for example, any type of web-enabled apparatus or system.Examples of such apparatuses or systems include, but are not limited to,a desktop computer, a laptop computer, a mainframe computer, a cellulartelephone, a personal digital assistant (“PDA”), and a controllerembedded in an otherwise non-computing device. The client computer 26contains one or more processor(s) 40 (referred to simply as “processor40”) and memory 42 for storing software 44. The processor 40 executessoftware 44, which includes a Web client application 46, and anaffiliate console 28. The Web client application 46 includes one or moreroutines used in implementing the TCP/IP protocol, which allows theclient computer 14 to communicate over the Internet 36. The operatingsoftware 48 includes an operating system 50, such as Windows XP®, and aContext presentation application 17, such as Internet Explorer®.

a. Affiliate Console

The affiliate console 28 allows a registered affiliate 24 to selectavailable titles and viewer experiences of publishers for inclusion on aweb page. From the affiliate console 28, the registered affiliate 24 canretrieve the presentation content code 19 required to reference a viewerexperience previously defined and authorized by publishers. Theregistered affiliate 28 may also have the option of directly selectingvideo titles from multiple publishers, creating their own line-ups andpresenting these items in a viewer experience that the registeredaffiliate 24 creates.

In some embodiments, the publishers will have complete control over thetitles and viewer experiences that registered affiliates may access. Apublisher may authorize all affiliates access to all titles managed bythe publisher. Alternatively a publisher may selectively grant access tospecific affiliates for specific titles, line-ups or viewer experiences.

When the presentation content code 19 is placed in the affiliate's webpage, the web page can retrieve the player from the service platform 30and present the player to a user 12. In addition to any identificationnumbers required to display the correct viewer experience, thepresentation content code 19 will include an identification number ofthe registered affiliate 24. This registered affiliate 24 identificationcode can be used by the service platform 30 to track usage andtransactions facilitated through the affiliated viewer experience. Theplayer presented to a user 12 is delivered by the service platform 30;however, from the consumer's perspective 12, the content appears to beoriginating directly from the affiliate's web page.

B. Service Platform

The service platform 30 shown in FIG. 6 may be any type of computingdevice or multiple computing devices that include a processor 40 andmemory 42 that stores software 44. The processor 40 executes software44, which includes a Web client application 46, a video streamingplatform 70, a presentation services module 72, a media deliver platform74, a media indexing module 76, a search engine 78, a content deliveryengine 80, a financial management processor 25, a messaging module 84, arecommendation services module 86, a reporting module 88, and operatingsoftware 48. The operating software 48 includes, but is not limited to,an operating system 50 and a communication module 90 for effectingcommunication over the Internet 36 and the CDN 34.

1. Content Library

Service platform 30 includes a content library 32 for storing assetsuploaded by publishers and data associated with the software 44.Although only one content library 32 is shown in FIG. 6, the depictedcontent library 32 represents any physical or virtual, centralized ordistributed database suitable for the receipt and storage of files. Eachfile is an entity of data, i.e., a string of bytes that is capable ofbeing manipulated as an entity. The files can represent any kind ofinformation, such as video, audio, text, images, executables, or simplybinary data.

2. Three-Tier Architecture

The service platform 30 has a three-tier architecture which scaleshorizontally as the load of users 12 on the system increases. The threetiers are: web servers, application servers and a database cluster. Theservice platform 30 incorporates redundancy and failover so that thereare no single points of failure in the system. In some embodiments, theinfrastructure of the service platform 30 is designed to provideapproximately 99.99% uptime (less than approximately 120 minutes ofunscheduled downtime per year). In some embodiments the content library32, in which assets are stored, is a redundant and mirrored file storagedatabase that is hosted at a facility that is multi-homed.

3. Video Streaming Platform

The video streaming platform 70 provides streaming video to a user 12 atclient 14. One embodiment for the video streaming platform 70 is basedon Macromedia Flash Communication Server or Microsoft Windows MediaServices server, both of which can be deployed in an edge-based CDNenvironment.

The presentation services module 72 is built upon a Macromedia Flash MXclient platform, HTML web pages and JavaScript code. The presentationservices module controls the viewer experience as defined by thepublisher 22 or affiliate 24. An affiliate 24 may also be a publisher 22or an individual user. The consumer service can rely upon the FlashPlayer runtime to optimize both the performance and visual richness forusers 12. The publisher, affiliate or other administrative consoles canbe built upon the Macromedia Flex application framework to deliverservices to publishers and affiliates. Tangential and supportingservices will be built as J2EE Web Applications and integrated with thelarger set of J2EE business objects.

4. Media Deliver Platform

The media delivery platform 74 intelligently distributes content basedon schedule and time requirements, on-demand download and streamingrequests, and cost constraints imposed by the packaging options. Forexample, a video program may be streamed on-demand via Flash for oneuser 12 on a pay-per-view or subscription basis; for another, the videoprogram may be the same but with advertising; and for another, the videoprogram may be a scheduled download delivery to a desktop usingBitTorrent® P2P distribution. In some embodiments, the media deliveryplatform 74 uses Macromedia Flash Communications Server and Flash Videoto deliver on-demand streaming video to a user 12, and Microsoft WindowsMedia Video formats and codec's to deliver TV and DVD quality videos toa user 12 for access on their personal computer (PC) or networkedtelevision.

a. Media Delivery Methods

The media delivery platform 74 provides different methods for deliveringcontent services to users 12, including: multiple delivery methods forany single or set of packaged content items 23, including on-demandstreaming in a web browser, on-demand TV-quality delivery, background ortrickle-down downloads, and peer-to-peer distribution of media. Themedia delivery platform 74 optimizes the delivery method based on theconsumer request and cost parameters defined by the service operator 30.Multiple clients and platforms are supported, including web-basedstreaming with high-quality experiences delivered in Macromedia Flash,PC-based TV-quality experiences offered in full-screen quality usingtechnology from Maven Networks Inc, and TV-based experiences throughintegration with various consumer electronics devices, such as MicrosoftMedia Center, XBox or TiVo environments.

The media delivery platform 74 also provides a series of facilities forsecure and reliable cross-device distribution of content. The mediadelivery platform 74 can accommodate the distribution and use of contentacross a network of websites, and across a range of primary end-user 12devices including high-quality streaming through any Flash-enabled webbrowser, PC-based viewing in TV-quality format via download, on portabledevices and DVD players, and directly on network-connected TV monitors.The media delivery platform 74 may integrate and distribute intoadditional and external media delivery platforms such as those offeredby mobile carriers or Video On-Demand (VOD) platforms managed by cableand satellite corporations such as Comcast and DirectTV.

The media delivery platform 74 includes (a) a generic policy enforcementlayer that can accommodate arbitrary use and delivery of content; (b) atransparent user 12 experience with respect to rights licenseacquisition and enforcement; (c) the ability to distribute across afederation of affiliate websites in a manner that simplifies thetechnical integration required by affiliates; (d) the ability todynamically determine the most time-sensitive and cost-effective meansto deliver the content; and (e) flexible deployment across streaming,progressive download, background download, peer-to-peer distribution,home network file sharing, and external media delivery platforms.

b. Policy Management

The media delivery platform 74 includes a policy management layer thatprovides fine-grained media access control for web-based experience, andrights license distribution and authorization for download andDRM-protected content. When publishers define packages within theservice, a corresponding set of logical policies for that media areinstantiated into the policy management layer. When a user 12 purchasesor has gained rights to a packaged content item 23, a correspondingpolicy identifier is attached to the user 12 account. At delivery-time,the user 12 identity flows through the policy management service todetermine whether and what rights the user 12 has to that packagedcontent item 23. In the event of a web-based experience, the applicationsimply streams the content back to the user 12. In the event of adownload-based experience, the application first enables contentdelivery of the file, and later when a playback event for the downloadmedia occurs the user 12's personal computer uses a pre-delivereddigital rights management (DRM) license to grant usage of the media. Allmedia usage events are audited and logged by the access control service.

c. Web Streaming

The media delivery platform 74 provides robust and high-quality mediaexperiences for users 12 accessing the media. In some embodiments,streamed video creates an experience that is instant-on with as littlebuffering as possible; that does not require the user 12 to choose avideo player or select a bandwidth option; that works automatically onapproximately 90% plus of installed Internet-connected computers runningany version of Windows, Macintosh, Linux or any web browser; that offersbranded integration into the containing application or website; thatenables inline and in-context video and interactive advertising; andthat can easily enable synchronization to external content.

d. Downloading

The media delivery platform 74 provides multiple approaches todownloading the assets associated with packaged content items 23. Insome embodiments the media delivery platform 74 may utilize twomechanisms for download delivery: foreground download and backgrounddownload. Foreground downloads are delivered using the serviceoperator's CDN partner and offers a near-on-demand experience forTV-quality media. Download events are trigged by consumer requests for aparticular media product. These requests can be issued synchronously andasynchronously. Examples of request events that trigger downloadsinclude: selecting a packaged content item 23 to have downloaded;browsing through a library via a TV that requests immediate playback; aconsumer indicating interest in a packaged content item 23 uponreceiving notification via a Instant Messaging (IM) or mobile ShortMessage Service (SMS) message; and packaged content items 23 becomingavailable as part of a series or subscription.

5. Media Indexing Module

The media indexing module 76 builds text-based meta-data from the audiotrack or other extracted meta-data of video files. This meta-data may beused to generate XML or HTML versions of video content that can beindexed by search engine crawlers.

The media indexing module 76 indexes discrete pieces of contentaccording to publisher provided meta-data. Layered on top of thisbase-level of searchable data, a variety of end-user 12 feedback isadded. For example content reviews, favored play lists, recommendations,and forum discussions all become useful end-user 12 generated meta-datafor indexing content. The media indexing module 76 generates indices ona per-publisher and service-wide basis. Associated user 12-generatedmeta-data are indexed and linked to specific content items. The mediaindexing module 76 offers publishers an optional service to audio-indextheir video content, extract topics and keywords, and make thisextracted content Internet search engine accessible.

6. Search Tool

The search tool 78 enables a user 12 to search the content library 32 ofassets. In some embodiments, the search tool 78 is a database-drivensearch combined with full-text index searches using a third-partyenterprise search engine, such as that provided by Lucene. The searchtool 78 maintains indexes of assets on a channel, seller and globalbasis. In other embodiments, the search engine is an external service tothe service platform such as those offered by companies like Google® orYahoo®. When users 12 access these external search engines, they providea search query which returns a result set. The result set offered by theexternal search engine can include entries that reference titles managedby the service platform.

The search tool 78 uses Rich Internet Application (RIA) techniques toprovide users 12 with a visually compelling and highly productiveinterface for conducting searches and navigating results. The searchtool 78 also provides a flexible and productive user 12 interface forbrowsing its content taxonomy by topic. This interface constantlyevolves as new publishers participate in the service, and are maintainedby the service content staff but with ongoing input and feedback frompublishers 22, affiliates 24, and users 12.

The search tool 78 facilitates Internet enabled searches, where users 12are able to find any service-contained content through Google or othersearch engines, as well as through any web links directly to mediawithin HTML pages and RSS feeds; service-only searches, where users 12are able to use keyword and category searches within the service itself;and searches across a topic hierarchy.

7. Content Deliver Engine

The content delivery engine 80 is used for intelligent and incrementaldownloads and uploads. The content delivery engine 80 definesoptimization algorithms that leverage reliable content delivery networksand BitTorrent delivery. In some embodiments the content delivery engine80 is implemented in conjunction with technology provided by MavenNetworks, Inc. This technology offers reliable and secure, incrementaluploads of content and supports background uploads of multi-gigabytefiles. Some advanced publishers may provide video to the service througha third-party, but private label, service bureau via satellite feeds,physical media, or other forms and in full-quality MPEG-2 format.Additionally, the content delivery engine 80 offers private-labelencoding and post-production services through an integrated third-partyprovisioning system.

The content delivery engine 80 uses the Windows Media DRM platform toprotect and secure provisioned content. WMV files can be protected bythe rights holder before provisioning into the service, or the servicecan secure the files before being made available through themarketplace. In either scenario, through the service's policy framework,the service verifies and authorizes consumer access and grant licenses.

8. Financial Management Processor

The financial management processor 25 supports billing services tohandle consumer transactions and back office subscription management andbilling functions. In some embodiments, the financial managementprocessor 25 is integrated with mainstream transaction providers such asVeriSign® and PayPal®.

The financial management processor 25 also provides deploymentinfrastructure for handling all consumer facing transactions, includingselection, order processing, and clearing and handling credit-card andother payment instruments. The service commerce features providesfine-grained access management rights based on DRM policies enabled byconsumer payment.

The financial management processor 25 manages all consumer transactionsincluding product and product-related options selection, payment method,authentication, order processing and settlement. This is handled thoughintegration with a payment service vendor such as VeriSign. All consumerpayments are made directly to the service—i.e. a credit card purchasewould show the service as the merchant of record. Micro-payments andpre-paid accounts are supported to allow customers to purchase “VideoMinutes”. The financial management processor 25 provides real-timeaccount balance management and supports account replenishment usingauthorized debit from consumer credit cards or bank accounts when theminutes balance is depleted. The financial management processor 25 alsoprovides post-purchase care to handle refunds and chargebacks of settledtransactions. Transactions from affiliate sites are captured in a waythat identifies the affiliate as the source of the transaction. Thisinformation is used for affiliate payments and reporting. The financialmanagement processor 25 also supports price discounts based onpromotions, coupon codes and gift certificates.

9. Messaging Module

The messaging module 84 allow users 12 to easily share content withfriends, colleagues and family using third party messaging techniques.In some embodiments, a mobile messaging platform such as that providedby m-Qube® or an instant messaging platform such as that provided byIMlogic® is integrated with the messaging module 84.

The messaging module 84 uses cross-channel messaging (i.e. email,instant messaging (IM), short message service (SMS), desktop clientnotification) for a variety of brand marketing, customer acquisition andretention strategies. Some messages are used to keep users 12 engagedwith their entertainment choices. Certain messages are used as a meansfor extended control and media scheduling. Ideally all communicationincludes some manner of personalized content targeted toward thespecific user 12. If the member has previously installed the desktopclient, any links embedded in the message is used as an initiation tolaunch the service client.

The messaging module 84 regularly schedules mailings to users 12 tohighlight new services and content available through the marketplace.These messages can include videos available from their subscriptions,videos they have not watched, advanced previews, recommended content,etc. For example, on a regular basis a user 12 could receive an email atwork that highlights video programs that are newly available from theirsubscription packages or other recommended programs. From these messagesthe user 12 could indicate programs of interest.

Similarly a user 12 might send an Email, SMS or IM message about a videothat might be of interest to one or more contacts. If the user 12 isauthenticated, the service provides the option to send a message to aset of known contacts or defined social groups. A contact who receivesthe notice could then reply that they would like to view this content.If the contact is not registered with the service, the message mightcontain additional information about the service so the potential newcustomer is comfortable with establishing a new relationship. After thecontact registers, the service provides the content to the contact. Insome embodiments, registration is not required to view the content. Forexample, in some embodiments, registration need not be required forpreviews, nor for ad supported content.

The service can use this type of proactive service to initiate downloadsonto a consumer's client computer 14 using commodity bandwidth. Theservice saves money by leveraging lower bandwidth costs and the consumerbenefits because they can immediately watch DVD-quality video withouthaving to search and browse the video library after coming home fromwork or outside activity.

10. Personalization Module

The personalization module 86 gathers user 12 recommendations based onexplicit peer-supplied reviews and ratings, and based on affinity andclick-stream based approaches. The personalization module 86 isoptimized to increase consumers' video spending by highlighting relevantcontent to individuals, households, and other affinity groups. Thepersonalization module 86 builds personalization profiles throughimplicit and explicit profiling of users 12. Implicit profiles are builtby observing the actions of users 12, including analyzing their purchasehistory and active subscriptions. Users 12 are able to refine theirrecommendations through ratings, highlighting their favorite channels,and other integrated forms of active participation. Based on thisinformation the personalization module 86 generates recommendations forvideo programs and subscription packages. Some recommendation processesare straight forward, for example promoting newly published content fromproducers they have previously enjoyed. Other algorithms might requirelicensing technology from vendors such as ChoiceStream. In someembodiments, the recommendation services module is a third-partypersonalization engine such as ChoiceStream®.

Accessing one's video library requires authentication, and as such thepersonalization module 86 can leverage personalization services toperform targeted advertising. The personalization module 86 determinesthe most relevant advertisements to deliver to a user 12 based on thecontext of their profile and the video program they are watching.

The personalization module 86 provides automated and manualrecommendations based on recent, most popular, and other ranked listsprovided by the service editorial staff. The personalization module 86employs contextual personalization technologies to provide automatedrecommendations on content. Unlike collaborative filtering techniqueswhich limit recommendations to social traits, the personalization module86 targets content to users 12 based on their individual tastes andinterests.

11. Reporting Module

The reporting module 88 provides a variety of standard reports that areaccessible to the publisher 22 through the publishing console 20. Insome embodiments, the service platform 30 provides the publisher 22access to advanced reporting tools upon receiving payment of anadditional fee. The reporting module 88 provides reports for each titleand on an aggregate basis. Examples of reports include: (1) title views,(2) title preview play starts, (3) title full-play stream starts, (4)title full-play number of minutes streamed, (5) title full-play downloadstarts, (6) title full-play download completions, (7) player load byplayer (8) play all clicks by player, (9) average total videos played insession, (10) average minutes played per video title, and (11) totalvideos completed per session.

The reporting module 88 provides publishers and affiliates with reportsthat describe the mix of users 12 accessing their assets (includingdemographic and contact data), the percentage of ad versus ad-freesubscriptions, traffic statistics and earnings reports that are updatedon a daily basis.

The reporting module 88 also provides standardized reporting on mediausage, including streaming and downloads, amount of time spent,geographic and subscriber data, and revenue activity in the service. Insome embodiments, the reporting module 88 leverages third-party softwarefor performing data warehousing and analytics, with a custom user 12experience on top of these packages.

C. Provisioning and Publishing Content Items

At provisioning and publishing time, the service platform 30 places acopy of the assets into the CDN 34 that then delivers the files to aglobal audience. At playback-time, the multimedia player 16 of clientcomputer 14 requests a connection to the CDN 34 which then facilitatesplayback of a particular video product.

The service platform 30 provides a publisher 22 with tools to: uploadmedia easily and robustly through an integrated desktop provisioningtool, as well as through back-end FTP and service bureau functions forgetting video into the hosted environment; transcode video into relevantformats if they are not already available or if needed in other formatsfor specialized or syndicated distribution; classify and index videousing both manual meta-data input mechanisms as well as automated videoindexing techniques that extracts key topics and content from video foruse in private search as well as indexing by Internet search engines;and select a standard set of viewing experiences for uploaded mediausing a set of Flash-based user 12 experiences. The publisher 22accesses these tools through the publisher console 20.

FIG. 7 shows a process 100 by which a publisher 22 enables publicationand delivery of media content using the publisher console 20. FIGS. 8-24show screenshots of the publisher console 22 during a player definitionprocess (112).

1. Registration

The publisher console 20 provides (102) the publisher 22 with aregistration screen for registering an account with the service in aself-service manner. To create the account, the publisher 22 entersbasic user 12 and service meta-data into the publisher console 20.During the registration process (102) the publisher 22 establishespayment and invoicing terms with the service to be scheduled withregular payment and billing cycles. The financial management processor25 of service platform 30 supports handles scheduling of payments andinvoicing functions. In some embodiments, the financial managementprocessor 25 is integrated with mainstream transaction providers such asVeriSign®, PayPal®. For example, the financial management processor 25may use a mainstream transaction provider for smaller-scale publishers.The financial management processor 25 may also provision an account inadvance.

In some embodiments, the account assigned to the publisher includesmultiple user 12 accounts with roles-based permissions. For example,each user 12 account can have one of three levels of permission. Theseinclude an administrator level which permits a user 12 to do any actionin the account including creating or deleting users 12; a programmerlevel which permits a user 12 to do any action in the account exceptcreate and delete users 12; and a contributor level which grants a user12 the ability to upload assets into an account. The contributor levelis generally assigned to post-production partners or other people in thepublisher organization who handle post-production needs and contentprovisioning.

During the registration process (102), the publisher console 20 promptsthe publisher 22 to define a set of information about their content andservices. The information includes, but is not limited to, the type ofcontent they offer, basic brand assets to be used in listing theirproducts, and additional user 12 accounts. In some embodiments,publishers are required to support a fixed set of video formats andquality controls. For example, for online streaming, videos may beencoded with Flash Video. For publishers that are providing TV or DVDquality products, the publishers may be required to provide the producesas secure Windows Media Video files.

The publisher console 20 also enables the publisher 22 to configuretheir merchant payment and invoicing terms (e.g., their PayPal, orcredit card account information) where cleared transactions are to bedelivered.

2. Walk-Through Presentation

The publisher 22 logs into the account by entering authenticationinformation (e.g., a username and password) into the publisher console20. After the service platform 30 verifies the publisher'sauthentication information, the service platform 30 (via the publisherconsole 20) presents (104) the publisher 22 with a presentation thatprovides a detailed walk-through of how to use the online programmingand selling environment. The walk-through is a high level overview toacquaint the publisher 22 with the functions of the service. After theproviding (104) the presentation, the publisher console 20 presents aninitial dashboard that provides the publisher 22 with instructions forpublishing media content.

a. Initial Dashboard

An example of the initial dashboard is shown in FIG. 8. The initialdashboard includes a welcome message, a description of three basic stepsfor creating a player, a section that provides news and updates relatingto the service, and a feedback panel in which the publisher 22 can sendcomments and questions to the party managing the service platform 30.

3. Uploading Content

When the publisher 22 clicks on the “Upload Images & Videos” iconpresented in the initial dashboard 200, the publisher console 20presents (106) the publisher 22 with a media content management screen202 through which the publisher 22 uploads assets to the serviceplatform 30. The service platform 30 associates the assets with thepublisher's ID and stores the assets in the content library 32.

a. Media Management Screens

Examples of the media content management screens are shown in FIGS. 9and 10. The media content management screen includes a scrollable panelthat displays a list of assets uploaded by the publisher 22. The list isdisplayed as a data grid that includes a row entry for each asset. A rowentry is partitioned into columns, each of which include informationabout the asset such as the name of the asset, the file type, and thedate that the asset was uploaded. The publisher 22 may sort the datagrid by column and filter the data grid such that only the entries ofinterest to the publisher 22 are displayed. The media content managementscreen also includes a file detail panel that displays information abouteach file in the list when selected. When a file (i.e., an asset) isselected in the list, the file detail panel displays information relatedto the file. This information may include, for example, the name of thefile, the upload date of the file, the upload status of the file (e.g.,complete or in progress), the file type, and a thumbnail image (FIG. 9).In some embodiments, the file detail panel includes a small video windowin which the full length video or preview clip can be played (FIG. 10).

In some embodiments, assets including videos and graphics are uploadedthrough the publisher console 20 using a service upload client thatenhances the speed and reliability of the uploading. The service uploadclient is a program that can be installed on the client computer 18. Theservice upload client facilitates the simultaneous uploading of multiplefiles. The files may also be batch uploaded using FTP and an XMLmanifest that describes the files. The files may then be automaticallyingested into the publisher's account. In some embodiments, before thepublisher console 20 delivers (106) an asset to the content library 32,the asset is encoded into a desired format. Examples of such formatsinclude Flash Video at 500 kb/s for streaming video and Windows MediaVideo at 1.5 MB/s for downloads.

Additionally, some sellers (both basic and advanced) are not able toprovision and upload media themselves. The service offers these firmsthird-party managed, but private labeled, service bureau functions thatcan receive physical media (VHS, DVDs) and create appropriate encodingsand source media and upload them over high-speed lines to the service,or a third-party satellite/media post-production facility such asComcast Media Center or Ascent Media who receive satellite feeds andgrab MPEG-2 as well as create other encodings.

4. Title Generation

After the publisher 22 uploads assets to the service platform 30, thepublisher console 20 provides (108) the publisher with a titlemanagement screen for defining and editing titles. A title is an exampleof a packaged content item 23 as shown in FIG. 1 and includes metadatathat provides information about the content, quality, condition, andother characteristics of the uploaded assets.

a. Title Management Screen

An example of a title management screen 240 is shown in FIG. 11. Thetitle management screen displays a list of titles created by thepublisher 22. The list is displayed as a data grid that includes a rowentry for each title. A row entry is partitioned into columns, each ofwhich includes information about the title such as the name of thetitle, the title status (e.g., active or inactive), and the creationdate of the title. The publisher 22 may sort the data grid by column andfilter the data grid such that only those titles fittingpublisher-selected criteria are displayed. The title management screen240 also includes a title detail panel that displays information abouteach title in the list when selected. For example, when the title named“1918: The film” is selected from the list, the title detail paneldisplays the name of the title, the genre, a short description, thetitle's reference ID, and a thumbnail graphic displaying informationassociated with the title. In this example, the thumbnail graphicdisplays a picture of the actors starring in the film.

b. Title Editing Screen

The publisher 22 may edit the title by manipulating the title in thelist (e.g., double clicking on the title) and create new titles byselecting the “Create a New Title” button displayed in the upperright-hand corner of the title management screen. When a publisher 22indicates the desire to edit a title or create a new title, thepublisher console 20 provides the publisher with a title editing screen.An example of a title editing screen is shown in FIG. 12.

As seen in the title editing screen 260 shown in FIG. 12, the meta-dataassociated with the title, “1918: The film” includes a name thatidentifies the title's content, short and long descriptions of thecontent, whether the title is displayed in color or black and white, thelanguage, a rating, a release date, a linked web site, awards received,and a reference ID. In some embodiments, the meta-data also includes aname of the producer or publisher that owns the title, the date on whichthe title was created, the length of the title, the genre of thecontent, key words, credits (e.g. director=xxx, screenwriter=yyyy), aproduction year, and a product reference id for linking the title to aproduct title id in an existing catalog or content management system. Atitle may have multiple graphics associated with it for use in differentpromotional contexts. For example, a graphic could be a thumbnail (e.g.,a 160×120 24-bit jpeg image), a small image (e.g., a 480×360 24-bit jpegimage), a branding graphic, or a background image. The meta-dataassociated with a title may be provided in a service defined XML format,such as a format based on the XMLTV or a derivative format.

In some embodiments, a title has a name and a single asset that isassociated with it. In other embodiments, the same title may havemultiple assigned assets (e.g., video files) that are each played backin different contexts (e.g. preview vs. full) and delivered throughdifferent delivery mechanisms (e.g. streamed online, download to PC,etc.). For example, a single title could be a combination of multiplevideo files that include a full-length streamed version, a full-lengthdownload version, a streaming video preview, and a downloadable preview.

Titles that are being distributed can be viewed streamed or optionallythey can be made available for download. The value of downloading is thequality of the play-back experiences (near DVD at full screen). Thetitle may be downloaded and viewed by a user 12 connected to theInternet 36. The publisher 22 may specify the conditions under which auser 12 can download a video. In some situations, a publisher 22 may notpermit a title to be downloaded unless the user 12 pays a fee.

5. Lineup Generation

After titles for the uploaded assets have been defined (108), thepublisher console 20 provides (110) the publisher 22 with a lineupmanagement screen for its own staff to define ordered lists of titles,referred to as “lineups,” Within the publisher console 20, the publisher22 can define lineups of titles. In some cases, lineups are created bythe publisher 22 as a way to organize and recommend specific videos thatthe publisher 22 is offering. The same title may belong to more than onelineup. Lineups are published and accessed through a viewer experience,permalink URL or through an RSS feed.

When creating a lineup the publisher 22 specifies a name for the lineupand assigns it at least one title. The publisher 22 may provide adescription and may select a thumbnail image for the lineup. Whilecreating or editing a lineup, the publisher console 20 presents thepublisher 22 with a scrollable, ordered list of uploaded titles. Thetitle list includes a sub-panel that displays information associatedwith a title in the list. A button is provided to add a video to thelist. This button brings up a video title picker. If possible and ifconsistent with other dialog boxes, the picker allows the publisher 22to select multiple videos to include in a lineup. In some embodiments,newly added videos are placed at the end of the list and titles can bedragged and dropped from one location in the list to another.

a. Lineup Management Screen

A lineup management screen (not shown) is also displayed in thepublisher console 20. The publisher 22 accesses and manages lineupsusing the tools provided in the lineup management functions. The initialscreen for this tab contains two main sections. The right side lists alllineups in a data grid. The left side contains a lineup detail panelthat displays information about a selected lineup. The data gridincludes a row entry for each lineup. A row entry is partitioned intocolumns, each of which include information about the lineup. Examples ofsuch information include: a lineup name, the number of videos includedin the lineup, an active/inactive flag indicating whether the lineup isavailable for distribution, and the date on which the lineup was eithercreated or last modified. The publisher 22 may sort the data grid bycolumn and filter the data grid such that only the entries of interestto the publisher 22 are displayed. The publisher 22 may edit a lineup bydouble clicking on any portion of its row entry. When selected thelineup detail panel displays the following information: the name of thelineup; a description of the content in the lineup; a thumbnail image;and the lineup's reference ID. The detail panel then displays ascrollable, ordered list of titles contained in the lineup. Next to thislist is a sub-panel that displays information about each title in thelineup when selected. When a title is selected in the sub-panel, a videodetail sub-panel displays the following information: the name of thetitle and a short description of the title's content. In someembodiments, the video detail sub-panel includes a small video window inwhich the full length video or preview clip can be played.

The lineup detail panel includes a button to edit and delete thecurrently selected lineup. If the publisher 22 wishes to delete a lineupthat is not being used within any player, the publisher console 20prompts the publisher 22 to confirm or cancel the delete operation.After receiving confirmation to delete the lineup, the publisher console20 sends a command to the service platform 30 that causes the lineup tobe deleted from the publisher's account.

If a lineup selected for deletion is being used within any player, thepublisher console 20 displays a warning dialog that informs thepublisher 22 that the lineup is in use. The warning dialog includes ascrollable list of all the players that are using the selected lineup.The publisher is given the option to delete the lineup which causes allreferences to the lineup to be removed from all of the players displayedin the list or to cancel the delete operation, in which case the lineupwill remain. The publisher 22 can activate and deactivate lineups.Deactivated lineups are not publicly accessible, but can still be editedwithin the publisher console 20.

b. Dynamic Lineups

In some embodiments, publishers define lineups based on a set of rulesapplied to dynamic data. These types of lineups are referred to as“dynamic lineups.” For example a dynamic lineup could be composed ofvideo titles that have a common keyword, include popularity ranking orbe driven by other recommendations. Dynamic lineups may also have avariety of sorting mechanisms for organizing titles (e.g., alphabetical,newest to oldest, oldest to newest). Publishers have the option to capthe maximum number of titles contained in a dynamic lineup.

c. Non-Dynamic Lineups

In some embodiments, publishers have the ability to pre-populatenon-dynamic lineups from a search query. For example a publisher 22could form a rule that queries for all video titles with the keyword“Travel” and with a popularity rating of “5 Stars”. This result set mayreturn a total of 17 titles, from which the publisher might hand selector reorder a subset of 10 from the 17 total available titles.

d. Series

In addition to augmenting the catalog with lineups, the publisherconsole 20 provides the publisher 22 with tools to organize titleswithin a series. A series is a special type of lineup whose titles canbelong only to that series. The titles in a regular lineup can alsobelong to other lineups. Series are created and managed along with otherlineups. The same functions that are used for managing lineups are usedfor managing series. For example, a publisher 22 can add or remove atitle from a series in the same manner describe for a lineup. Whencreating or editing a video title a publisher 22 can associate it with aseries. When looking at lists of video titles, publishers have theoption of viewing the titles grouped by their associated series. A titleknows what series it belongs to, but it is not a requirement that atitle need to know each lineup it has a relationship with. Within thepublisher console 20, the publisher may configure a lineup display togroup video titles by their associated series and display only thosetitles that belong to a particular series.

e. Lineup Subscriptions

Publishers have the option of creating a subscription from a lineup.When creating a subscription the publisher would specify the paymentterms. Payment term options may include monthly or yearly billing. If auser 12 purchases a subscription and their subscription account is validthen the user 12 will have access to the titles within the lineup.

6. Player Definition

Within the publisher console 20, the publisher 22 defines the viewerexperience for presenting the titles to a user 12. The presentationaperture 13 within a presentation context 15 (e.g., a web page) in whichtitles and lineups are presented according to the viewer experience isreferred to as a “player.” In certain embodiments, a player can be anapplication that is built upon the Macromedia Flash platform.

Publishers have the ability to create as many viewer experiences as theylike, enabling power-sellers to offer dozens of viewer experiences, andbasic original programmers to offer just one viewer experience with ahandful of programs. When creating a viewer experience within thepublisher console 20, the publisher must first provide basic informationabout the viewer experience such as a name.

Through the publisher console 20, publishers can select and enablecomponents of the players that are to be made available as part of aviewer experience. Such components include programs that collect andreport user 12 input (e.g., ratings and comments) and tools that allow auser 12 to share the content with others.

Additionally, beyond selecting a pre-built player from within thepublisher console 20, a publisher may author a customized player usingthe provided SDK 60 that includes Flash and XML Web Services.

FIG. 13 shows a player management screen that displays a list of playerscreated by the publisher.

a. Selecting a Player Template

The publisher console 20 provides (112) a template-selection screen forselecting a player template that defines the format and layout of theplayer and the rules by which users 12 are able to view/select thetitles associated with the player. The visual presentation of the playeris defined by a “player template”. The service platform 30 includes avariety of player templates that each has a different theme and style.Themes establish look and feel for control and elements. Styles setfonts and colors on items like text, buttons, and controls. By choosinga player template with a specific desired layout of text, images, lists,controls, and video playback space, the publisher 20 determines thelayout of the player.

FIG. 14 shows a general player editing screen that allows the publisher22 to edit an existing player. The publisher can change the playertemplate assigned to the player by selecting the template button in theleft-hand side of the general player editing screen. If the publisherselects the template button, the publisher console 20 displays atemplate-selection screen that provides a list of different templatesthat the publisher can choose.

FIG. 15 shows an example of a template-selection screen that provides aselection of four default templates (e.g., Player with Expand/CollapseVideo Titles, Player with Scrolling Video List, Single Video Player withLogo, and Single Video Player). When the publisher selects a templatefrom the list, the template-selection screen displays the informationregarding the template in a template details panel. The template detailspanel displays the dimensions of the player and the arrangement andlayout of player components such as video screens, thumbnails, logos,titles, buttons, and brands.

FIGS. 16-19 show examples of the four default templates. FIG. 16illustrates the “Player with Expand/Collapse Video Titles” template.FIG. 17 shows the “Player with Scrolling Video List” template. FIG. 18shows the “Single Video Player with Logo” template. FIG. 19 shows the“Single Video Player” template. The publisher 22 can further configureand customize the player template. For example, the publisher 22 may,for example, change the aspect ratio of a video screen or adjust thelayout and/or dimensions of the player template.

b. Selecting the Style of the Player

After the publisher 22 selects and configures the player template, thepublisher console 20 provides the publisher 22 with a style editingscreen that enables the publisher 22 to customize the look and feel ofthe player.

FIG. 20 shows an example of such a style editing screen. Using the toolsprovided in the style editing screen, the publisher 22 can selectbetween different player themes and styles for displaying differentstyles, sizes, and colors of fonts, borders, buttons, and other featuresin the player. The style editing screen also enables the publisher toset the background of the player. For example, the publisher 22 canupload a background image that can be used to paint the entirebackground of the player template. If the publisher 22 has not alreadyspecified a background image, the publisher 22 may also select abackground color of the template.

c. Selecting Content to Include in the Player

After specifying the aesthetics of the player, the publisher 22 selectsthe content to be presented in the player in a content editing screen.An example of a content editing screen in shown in FIG. 21. To addcontent to the template, the publisher enters a video title or lineup inthe appropriate location of the template. In some embodiments, thecontent editing screen provides the publisher with a button, that whenpressed, allows the publisher to add, delete, or edit content. If thepublisher indicates the desire to add content to the template, thepublisher console 20 presents the publisher 22 with two main options:choose titles from a whole library or select a lineup from a list ofexisting lineups. If a publisher 22 selects the source to be thecomplete library, the publisher 22 is given the option to sort the listalphabetically or by date (Newest to oldest; oldest to newest). If thepublisher 22 selects a lineup the publisher console 20 presents thepublisher 20 with a lineup picker (similar to the title picker describedabove) for selecting lineups from a lineup management screen (notshown).

The lineup management screen includes a first section that lists alllineups provided by the publisher 22 and a second section that displaysinformation about a selected lineup. The lineups are listed in a datagrid that displays the names of the lineups and their titles. The datagrid allows for sorting on each column and type-ahead filtering on thename. When selected the lineup detail panel displays the name of thelineup; a description of the content contained in the lineup; and athumbnail image. The detail panel also displays a scrollable, orderedlist of titles contained in the lineup. In some embodiments, the scrollbars only appear if the list exceeds the size of the panel. The detailpanel includes a sub-panel that displays information about a title thathas been selected by the publisher 22. When a title is selected in thesub-panel, the title detail sub-panel displays information related tothe title. Such information may include a name, genre, description, andID number of the title. In some embodiments, a small video window isdisplayed with controls to play the full length video or preview clip.Within the lineup management screen, the publisher may create a newlineup or edit an existing lineup.

A player can present a single lineup or multiple lineups. The lineupsmay include non-dynamic lineups, dynamic lineups, or a combination ofboth. The publisher 22, for example, may create a player that has afixed number of pre-placed tabs or buttons that are each associated witha different lineup. The publisher 22 may also configure the player todisplay the description and/or thumbnail of the lineup after thecorresponding button is selected. In another example, the publisher 22could configure the player such that a single tab/button corresponds toan initial lineup, whose list of titles are to be loaded and playedfirst. At any time, the publisher 22 can add or delete lineups from aplayer and change the order in which the lineups are displayed.

In some embodiments, the player is configured to send usage data whenlineups are viewed by users 12. The usage data may include the names ofthe titles within the lineups that are accessed and played. If a lineupis accessed by a user 12 usage data may include one or more of thefollowing: a publisher ID, a player ID, a player name, a lineup ID, anda video title ID.

The content editing screen also enables the publisher to add, delete,and edit graphics and text displayed in the player. FIG. 22 shows anexample of a content editing screen in which the publisher adds a linkto an image displayed in the player.

d. Player Preview

After the publisher 22 specifies the content to be presented in theplayer, the publisher console 20 provides the publisher with a playerpreview screen. An example of a preview screen is shown in FIG. 23. Theplayer preview screen allows the publisher 22 to preview the playerbefore publishing it. If the publisher 22 wants to make further changesto the player, the publisher 22 can return to the previous screens andthe return to the preview screen to view the player. The publisher 22may continue to make changes to the player and preview the results untilthe publisher 22 is satisfied with the player.

7. Publishing Player

After the publisher 22 finishes defining the player, the publisherconsole 20 provides (114) the publisher 22 with a presentation contentcode 19 (i.e., a presentation facility) that can be incorporated intothe publisher's web page or potentially into any other web page. FIG. 24shows an example of a presentation content code 19.

The presentation content code 19 contains a player ID for the player(e.g., experienceID=5). When the presentation content code 19 is placedin a publisher's (or affiliate's) web page, the web page can retrievethe player from the service platform 30. When a user 12 at client 14opens the web page, the embedded presentation content code 19 invokesthe service platform 30 to supply the client 14 with the playerassociated with the player ID contained in the presentation content code19. Changing the player ID provided in the presentation content code 19changes the player that is loaded from the content library 32 of serviceplatform 30. FIGS. 47-53 show a database schema used in the contentlibrary 32. As the user 12 interacts with the player, the playercommunicates with the service platform 30 and loads the appropriatetitles and/or lineups to be displayed. A publisher may also instruct thepresentation content code 19 to initially load specifics titles and/orline-ups on invocation. Through this mechanism, a publisher 22 can usethe same content management system that controls the text and graphiccontent in their web page to control the content that is deliveredthrough a player in their web page. The player is presented to the user12 as if it is being supplied directly from the web page.

D. Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing

The service provides tools to publishers 22 that allow them to markettheir product offerings within the service platform network, includingthe publisher's websites or affiliate websites, and externally throughmarketing partners, customer messaging, and search engines. Assetsprovisioned into the service are not immediately made available for useand access by users 12. Instead, the service platform 30 providespublishers with a set of tools for defining and making titles andlineups available to users 12, including controls on scheduling anddistribution. Publishers also are provided a variety of tools forhighlighting and promoting programs, placing program information intosearch engines, and managing program availability on an ongoing basis.While many published programs are made immediately available, oftenpublishers want to control their availability on a scheduled orembargoed basis. Furthermore, publishers may want to constrain the timeand geographic availability for programming based on contract anddistribution agreements that they have in place.

1. User Notification

The service platform 30 provides built-in mechanisms to notify users 12when new content items become available, including interfaces fordesktop notification, SMS and IM notification (using m-Qube and IMLogicgateways), and email notification. The service platform 30 providesstandard templates for these notifications, which can be customized withHTML or Flash. Additionally, publishers have access to all opt-inconsumer data provided by users 12 via the Web, or an XML interface forintegration into their own customer contact systems.

2. Keyword Bidding

The service platform 30 provides the publisher 22 with tools to manageand bid on keywords and paid listings in search platforms such asGoogle, Overture and MSN. Using these tools, publishers 22 manage theirkeyword inventory and purchase across services (through third-party ASPswho offer such services, wrapped in a web service). For example, apublisher 22 of videos about training dogs could purchase and bid on“dog training videos” in various search engines, with links directlyback into the item-level detail for a specific lineup or title. Theservice platform 30 automatically generates HTML-text pages for eachprogram in the system which can be URL accessed, linked to by anyaffiliate or consumer website, and available as part of an rich sitesummary feed, ensuring that all media can participate in broaderInternet sites and search engines.

In addition to paid keyword campaigns for the content items, the serviceplatform 30 provides a set of services to automatically integrateinformation regarding the content items into search engines, as well asoptimizing content for search engines through linking and sharingtechniques.

The service platform 30 ensures that uploaded media content andmeta-data is spider accessible through an HTML document. The serviceplatform 30 automatically publishes an indexer/robot friendly version ofcontent. Additionally, various components of the service have apermanent URL link (“permalink”), including major sections andsub-sections, publisher home screens, video detail screens, videosthemselves, and even cue points within a specific video. The serviceplatform 30 automatically publishes new and updated content meta-datainto search engines, such as those provided by Yahoo, Google,SingingFish and MSN's emerging audio/video indexing services.

3. Advertisement-Supported Content

The service platform 30 implements an environment where publishers andusers 12 are brought together in an online marketplace. Variouspackaging and pricing options are available to publishers, ranging fromad-free media paid for entirely by the consumer, to ad-supported mediawhich is free to the viewer. Support for a variety of advertisingrelated needs is integral to the service offering.

In the service, video products are delivered and viewed using the powerand flexibility of network connected PCs. This enables rich mediaadvertising to be integrated with packaged content items 23 in ways thatare not possible with traditional video distribution systems such asbroadcast or cable television. For example, ads can be comprised ofvideo, with overlay graphics, and interactive areas enabling the user 12to click on parts of the ad to get more information or to change thecourse of the ad itself. In general, the full power of interactive mediacan be applied to ads that are delivered in media packages.

The service also makes it easy and automatic for ads to be associatedwith video products based on content and viewer demographics. Thisenables advertising to be focused in ways that bring more value to boththe advertiser and the viewer. The service platform 30 provides a richset of tools for integrating advertising into the media package,optimizing the needs of producers, viewers and advertisers.

4. Advertisement Insertion Tools

In some embodiments, the publisher console provides the publisher withtools to offer ad-supported programs. Advertisements may be simple videostreams, or be interactive, or even be overlaid on the video streamitself such as in an icon or sidebar or a scrolling footer. Interactiveadvertisements may be created which allow a user 12 to follow a link tomore detailed information. The viewing of advertisement links may bedeferred so that a user 12 may view a program with minimal interruptionwhile building a list of links and promotions to be viewed at a latertime.

The ad insertion tools allows the publisher 22 to define the placementand accepted formats of advertising, and the content delivery engine 80(FIG. 6) dynamically matches and serves advertisements based on thecontent and user 12 context. Media packages and advertisements can havemeta-data linked to them that describes the content. This meta-data isused by the service to automatically associate ads with programs thathave related content, targeting ads to users 12 that are more likely torespond to them, and improving the consumer's experience by showing adsthat are tailored to their interests. Additionally, as more informationis known about a consumer's preferences and demographics, thepersonalization module 86 (e.g., provided by ChoiceStream) is used toinform the ad matching process, and to target ads at specific groups ofviewers.

After the publisher 22 provisions and publishes a program, the publisherconsole 20 provides the publisher 22 with an interface in which thepublisher can set advertising cue points in the player, and choose thequantity and format of advertising at these cue points. For example, fora 45-minute video a publisher could set a cue point for pre-rolladvertising that enables 2 20-second video spots, another cue point at atransition 15 minutes into the program where they enable anoverlay-based advertisement, another cue point at 35 minutes thatinserts 3 video spots, and so on.

Additional information can be associated with these cue points toincrease the likely hood of relevant advertising. The ad insertion toolallows the publisher 22 to define the placement and accepted formats ofadvertising, and the content delivery engine (FIG. 6) dynamicallymatches and serves advertisements based on the content and user 12context.

5. Advertising Templates

The service platform 30 and the delivered viewer experiences support aselection of advertising templates and advertising areas in which avideo, banner, logo, or any other graphic or textual advertisement orpromotional content can be placed. Advertisers may bid on or purchaseadvertising areas so that their advertisement appears in the publisher'sor affiliate's player. The advertising areas can also be used by thepublisher 22 to promote new services and/or products offered by thepublisher 22. In some embodiments, the publisher 22 populates theadvertising areas and defines simple rules for their display (e.g., timewindows, rotation behavior, etc.). In some embodiments, the advertisersthemselves have access to the areas and can populate the areas anddefine simple rules for their display.

FIGS. 25-40 show exemplary advertising templates. FIGS. 41-46 showexemplary players built upon various advertising templates.

6. Ad Renditions

The service allows different renditions of ads to be served to a user 12based on the method that the user 12 uses to view the ads for optimalviewing. For example, in a web-browser, ads are able to take fulladvantage of the capabilities of Flash and Flash Video in a streamingdelivery. In full screen mode, fewer capabilities are available. Whenviewing on a television, interactions with a remote control aresupported.

The desktop client provided to a user 12 enables different forms ofadvertisements to be displayed. The desktop client enables rich forms ofads: images, video and interactive ads. These ads can be displayed indifferent ways. They can be displayed pre-roll, overlaid, in-feed, orpost-roll. The desktop client displays a canvas over the running videoand can detect keystrokes and mouse movements from the user 12. Theseevents can result in different types of actions including navigating toa web site and capturing information for reporting.

To reduce the impact that ads have on the download times of mediapackages, ads may be cached on the consumer's client computer 14. Thisenables an ad that may be shown multiple times to be delivered only onceand not incur any delivery cost for other products into which it isinserted.

The service platform 30 provides tools for advertisers to purchaseavailable inventory, and to change their purchases dynamically based onmarket conditions. When the service is an online system with directcustomer interaction, no advance notice is necessary to change theadvertising associated with a particular media product as there is in atraditional broadcast distribution system. As advertisers' needs change,they can adjust their campaigns on the fly and those changes areinstantly reflected in the distribution of their ads. Also, as thepopularity of a particular product changes, or as the distribution ofusers 12 changes, the service can react instantly and reflect thosechanges in the automatic association of ads with content.

The service platform 30 provides reporting tools to inform advertisersabout the progress of their campaigns. This information enablesadvertisers to respond quickly and change strategy based on the measuredsuccess of their ads.

E. User Experience

The user experience spans multiple interaction channels including webbrowsers, desktop clients, email, instant messaging (IM)/SMS andtelevisions through convergence devices. Content available from theservice platform 30 is capable of being consumed on a wide array ofconsumer electronic devices. This includes both in home electronicdevices (TVs, Media Renderer) as well as portable Media Centers. Users12 are able to view their available content on any device, at any time.

The service provides three primary user 12 experiences: web basedclient, desktop client, and Windows Media Center client. The desktop andMedia Center clients are installed applications. The installedapplications enable a set of functionality that builds upon and extendsthat of the web client. The features of the desktop client and WindowsMedia Center client are: a rich environment for viewing availablecontent; ability to display both rich and interactive media ads;background and foreground downloading of content for high quality video;full access to the service's website; ability to copy purchased content,where entitled, to physical media such as a DVD or Portable VideoPlayer.

1. Desktop Client

On client computer 14, the service is accessible both through a webbrowser and a desktop client application. The initial access for theservice is through the web. The website acts as a gateway for many typesof users 12, all with different goals and expectations. A desktop clientis offered to users 12 who are registered members and provides a richerand more compelling entertainment experience. The website and thedesktop client through which content items are presented to a user 12take advantage of Macromedia Flash and broadband connections to ensure arich, visual experience.

When a consumer registers and becomes a member, they are prompted,though not required, to download and install a desktop client. Thedesktop client provides a more exciting and higher quality environment.For example, through the desktop client one is able to access downloadedDVD-quality videos, whereas through the web browser the consumer canonly access a streamed video of lower quality. Overall, the desktopclient experience can be more engaging with an increased sophisticationin user 12 interactivity and visual and aural experiences. Allfunctionality and content delivered through the website is alsoaccessible through the desktop client.

The desktop client's functions are synchronized with operationsperformed through the web site. The desktop client leverages a publicset of web services to process commands directed by the user 12. As anaid to rationally manage multiple interfaces into the same functions,the desktop client may act as a “browser proxy” to special sections ofthe website. From the user 12's perspective it appears to be a seamlessenvironment, but the interface may be a mixture of local GUI resourcesand remote content. The desktop client functions in a more limitedfashion when offline (browsing, searching and viewing downloaded contentand advertisements), though all locally cached and stored videos areaccessible.

2. Service Platform Features

The following features are made available through the service platform30.

In the area of video browsing: browse by hierarchal content categories;content can be placed within multiple categories; “Custom catalogs”provide limited view into entire available library; browse throughbranded lineups; and browse through user 12 programmed lineups.

In the area of search for video: search across all available contentmeta-data; automatic search narrowing as user 12 types (e.g., similar toApple iTunes); search results are dynamically clustered (e.g., usingtechnology provided by Vivizimo); and define “saved search” criteriathat automatically group video content (e.g., akin to “smart folders”).

In the area of automated recommendations: “People like you, liked this”recommendations; recommendations from people in your important “socialnetwork” (i.e. your friends, your brother, etc); most popular (byviewership, ratings, etc.) videos broken down by categories, channels,etc; and personalized new arrivals.

In the area of editorial recommendations: content reviews; explicitcross sales between channels and videos; reviews, content and lineups“authored” by well known individuals (e.g., critics, celebrities, moviedirectors, etc); and produced magazine-like content that highlightsprograms available through the service.

In the area of preview of video: Flash streaming video; and a consistentpreview length, for example, 1-minute.

In the area of customer registration, authentication and accountmanagement: registration is a streamlined process; potential membersneed to provide a bare minimum of information; billing information isonly required upon first purchase; members are prompted to answer anumber of questions to tailor their automated recommendations (usingChoiceStream personalization engine); service can optionally “remember”that the user 12 has previously authenticated (i.e. save username andpassword in local shared objects); manage trial memberships (limitedaccess for periods of time; maximum number of viewings); an account canmanage a household of other users 12; parental controls can be definedfor certain users 12; monetary allowances and time thresholds (e.g., 2hours per day; 10 hours per week, etc) can be established; systemimplicitly builds simple contact lists through “tell a friend”operations; user 12 is allowed to explicitly create contacts andorganize them into groups; include name, email address, IM, mobile/SMSinfo; integrate with a federated identity management system to enableeasy re-use of existing online accounts and profile information.

With respect to the purchase process: first purchase (subscription ordownload) prompts for billing information if not already known; andstandard billing process for credit card information, and other servicessuch as Paypal.

In the area of experiencing on-demand media: browser based viewing isstreamed Flash video; Limited resolution and screen size; progressivedownloads; full-screen DVD-quality video and sound; initial delay of aminute or less as buffer is built; and pre-roll advertisements can beshown during delay.

For experiencing delivered media: full-screen DVD-quality video andsound available for offline viewing and display through TVs.

With respect to advertising: ads are based on rich media, primarilyFlash and Flash Video or Windows Media Video; integration with thirdparty ad formats. Ads are blended into the viewing experience, dependingupon ad format. Ads can be played before, during and after the video.For repurposed TV commercials, during video playback, the system pausesvideo, rolls ad and then resumes video.

In the area of “New Media” rich ads, the service offers: a variety of adsizes and formats (related to IAB standards) layered over video indesktop client (swipes, dissolves, movement, callouts, etc); interactiveads that contain mini-sites for use in the desktop client. The desktopclient can pre-deliver and intelligently download ads and as such can bemuch larger in size (tens of megabytes) and ad placement is based oncontext of user 12 and content.

With respect to reviewing and rating media: provides basic rating system(e.g., 1-5 Stars). Members given opportunity to write reviews, includingaudio/video reviews, rate the reviewers—their reputation increases ordecreases, and implicitly rank content based on the number of times theyare included in user 12 programmed lineups. As an example of automatedpromotion of quality titles, the service platform 30 could promote thosetitles that have both a high user 12 rating and a high “play count”.

In the area of copying media to DVD or Personal Video Player (PVP), thedesktop client allows user 12 to burn limited set of content items toDVD, receive authorization in DRM provisioning; integrate content itemswith portable video players such as Microsoft Portable Media Centers.

For managing subscriptions, bundles and purchases, the service platform30 provides members with tools to: search and browse the availablelineups and individual videos, and add selections to their videolibrary. For those items that require additional payment beyond existingaccepted terms and conditions, the member is prompted to authorizepayment and billing authorization is performed before granting accessrights. The service platform enables members to build scheduled channelguides; e.g., On Sundays at 8 pm queue the latest show of subscriptionX, followed by series Y, and rent program Z; to review purchases andactive subscriptions; to mark subscriptions for auto-renewal (otherwisethe members are prompted when subscriptions are up for renewal); tobookmark content categories, lineups, producers; and to mark “favoriteentries” that become available for browsing through the TV.

With respect to getting technical support, the service primary supportthrough online channels (email and self-service knowledge base) andtelephone support. Online help is context sensitive, and integrated intofunctional user 12 interface. Where possible and appropriate, wizardsand other directed processes are used to guide users 12 to accomplishkey tasks.

3. Account Management

Users 12 receive access to the service by registering directly thoughthe service's website using a simple registration process. They may alsoreceive access as a trusted customer of a publisher. Users 12 can thenchoose between several payment options including PayPal or credit card,bank account transfer or a pre-paid account.

Users 12 are provided with account management services. Users 12 canaccess their account to change profile information or to change paymentand billing options. They may also renew subscriptions, re-activatetheir account after it has been disabled, and review their purchasehistory and subscriptions.

Media programs are watched together within households. As such thesystem supports aggregated profiles of household members. Individualusers 12 can have their own personal media library, which they sometimesaccess and watch on their own. In addition, with parental controls,family members' video programs are made available to the entirehousehold.

4. Television

In some embodiments, the client computer 14 is a television. The TVinterface has a limited set of user 12 functions, due to the limitedinteractivity available through TV remotes. Simple interactivity tiesback into the PC environment. For example, an advertisement, served fromthe PC through a Microsoft “extender device”, might have an option to“get more information.” With the click of a remote, a message is thenstored and relayed from the PC back to the service, which can then queueup a richer and more interactive advertisement application playablethrough the desktop client.

Functions that may be made available through the TV include: browse“personal channel guide” of available downloaded media; browse favoritecontent categories, lineups, initiate on-demand downloads; viewavailable videos, with advertisements as required; conduct simpletransactions initiated from advertisements, including: external orders;purchase video or add subscription from a cross-sell ad; tell a friend(from previously defined contacts or groups); tell me more info (i.e.email or interactive ad delivered to PC); and mail me Information (leadsent to advertiser).

5. Download of Content

Content delivered to the service client is generally done in thebackground providing for the inexpensive delivery of large binary files,but can also be delivered in the foreground for near-video on demandexperiences. The technology used to download the files is dependent onthe ubiquity of the file. If the video being requested is common amongusers 12, peer-to-peer file sharing technology can be used to obtain thefile, permitting that the user 12 has opted to allow this, and that theclient does not experience firewall or operator-based restrictions.Using peer-to-peer file sharing technology would result in no bandwidthcosts to the service. If the video file is not available on many users12′ machines, intelligent download technology provided by Maven NetworksInc is used which results reliable delivery.

One important aspect of the service client is that it runs as abackground process on the consumer's machine (e.g., in the system tray)and can be notified by the service to determine if a download needs tobe initiated. This enables several important scenarios: automaticdelivery of scheduled programming or user 12 requested downloads. Inthese scenarios, the service can identify the user 12 and determine whatcontent needs to be downloaded. The service indicates the file(s) thatneeds to be downloaded and the download is initiated. The service clientcan process multiple download streams, with different priorities, andcan respond to end-user 12 network or PC-activity and throttle thedelivery.

6. Communities of Interest

The service offers users 12 a range of community-oriented tools,including ratings and reviews of all video products and sellers, andintegrated tools for messaging and communicating with other users 12such as friends or family members, and a platform for third-partywebsites to offer and point-to service-hosted content as affiliatemarketing partners.

The service leverages and disseminates knowledge about relevant andinteresting video content to members of the network. One effectiveprocess is to use relationships between members as marketing programs tohighlight content to each other. The consumer is provided rapid and easymechanisms to inform others, within their social network, of relevantcontent.

A wide range of tools and communication forums are available to the usercommunity as a means to share and discover content in the service. Thesetools include: authoring reviews and editorials, including simple ratingsystems; building recommendation; generating lineups comprised ofdiverse titles that are potentially across publishers; discussion forumsfor titles, publishers, or tangential topics; externally linkablecontext into the service client for use in web blogs, personalhomepages, externally generated emails, etc. linkable contexts includeall product links, articles, lineups, and other textual media as well asvideo titles themselves including cue points within the video so as tolink to a specific scene or piece of dialogue; and end-user 12 toend-user 12 communication initiated from within the service client viainstant messaging, email, SMS, or other appropriate forms ofcommunication. Such tools turn community interests and efforts into aneffective means of exposing users 12 to desirable content as well asreduce the effort required in the content discovery process.

II. Revenue Models

The publisher console 20 enables publishers to offer multiple forms ofpackaging against the same set of packaged content items 23, enablingusers 12 to have access to the packaged content items 23 across a fulldemand-curve for media. For example, publishers can offer their productson a free, ad-supported basis, as micro-payment based rentals andpurchases, and as stand-alone and bundled subscriptions. Publishers canscale the quantity and quality of these package types while ensuringthat the broadest range of users 12 can access their content easily.

A. User Pays

The publisher 22 can provide packages paid for by a user 12. Thepackages may include the following: rented streaming and downloadedvideos which are time-limited in their use; purchased streaming anddownloaded videos that give the user 12 perpetual rights to the content;subscriptions to monthly or annual streaming and download rights to allpublished products in a package; and bundled packages offered bypublishers with discounts. In some embodiments, bundles may also bedefined by the user 12 and be based on a pricing floor andperformance-based discounting.

1. Subscriptions

Subscription packages can vary in format, schedule and price—all ofwhich are determined by the publisher 22. Users 12 who subscribe havecontinual access to the video programs while their subscription iscurrent. The service determines appropriate policies to deal withcancellations and breach of contract by the video producers (e.g., asubscription package calls for 12 videos per month, but the producerdoes not fulfill their obligations).

Different levels of video subscription plans demarcate different levelsof quality and options for consumption. The levels and options includeconsuming media in a streamed, delivered or on-demand manner and varyingamounts of advertising. At the lowest level users 12 have limited accessto streamed content, which is supported entirely by advertising. Thereis no subscription fee for this package. The uppermost plan removes alladvertising from programs and delivers DVD-quality video to the PC,which can be viewed on a TV.

Instead of going through an explicit process of creating separatesubscriptions, publishers are given the option of enabling asubscription from a line-up. These subscriptions would prohibit accessto the full length videos within the line-up unless the user 12 has theproper entitlement. The user 12 could still access the previewsassociated with each video title of the line-up. If the publisher 22adds or removes a title from a line-up, then the consumer's set ofentitlements to the titles change.

For example, the user 12 is presented with two line-ups: “WWII” and“Battle of the Bulge”. The WWII line-up requires a subscription andincludes the complete World War II video collection. The publisher 22wishes to highlight certain videos related to the Battle of the Bulgethat are available within the WWII subscription. The publisher 22creates a promotional Battle of the Bulge line-up that has no associatedeconomics; it is used purely as a vehicle to highlight a selection ofvideos. When a new user 12 selects a video in the Bulge line-up theservice recognizes that they have no entitlements. The service platform30 recognizes that this title is offered through the WWII subscriptionand the user 12 is presented with the offer to purchase thesubscription.

In another example, the publisher 22 has created both “WWII” and“History of America” line-up subscriptions with some video titleoverlap. One of these titles, about the death of FDR, is also availablefor rent. If a user 12 looks at the FDR title, contained in apromotional line-up highlighting the 1940s, they are presented with theoption of purchasing either subscription or rent the individual title.

In a further example, the publisher 22 or an affiliate 24 creates apromotional line-up that includes a mix of pay-media and ad-supportedvideo titles. Likewise a user 12 creates and shares their own line-upthat mixes a similar set of videos.

2. Rentals

Some video programs are not packaged into a subscription, but users 12can rent these items. Users 12 are given a chance to rent a program fora limited period of time and/or viewings.

3. Purchases

Users 12 have the option of purchasing the program, which entitles themto an extra set of privileges (e.g., lifetime viewing, burn to DVD,etc.). Users 12 build a personal video library by self-assemblingsubscription packages and individual downloads.

4. Bundles

Similar to subscriptions built from line-ups, a publisher has the optionof creating a product bundle from a line-up. The publisher 22 can set arental and purchase price. These prices would override any per videotitle pricing established. When the user 12 purchases the line-up theyare granted the entitlements for the video titles at the time ofpurchase. A consumer's set of entitlements would not change based on anymodifications to a line-up after the time of purchase.

A publisher 22 can also authorize dynamic bundles in which the publisher22 bases the prices of user 12 subscriptions on volume of usage. As thenumber of subscribers for a particular service increases, the futureprice of the service is lowered. Video titles or subscriptions managedby publishers can be aggregated by a user 12, affiliate 24 or anythird-party to form a custom-selected subscription. Each these items aresubject to a pre-set (by the publisher) volume discount based on volumeof usage by all users 12 of those items. The usage and therefore thediscounts are tracked, payments are collected, and funds are remitted topublishers, the system operator, and other parties. The cost of the user12's custom-selected subscription is variable depending on the discountsthat end up applying to the streams that are part of the subscription.If discounts produce a lower cost, the reduction is automatically passedon to the user 12.

If the costs go up because of reduced usage, the customer couldterminate their custom subscription, or agree to pay more, or encouragedto adjust the mix of items in their subscription, for example. Thecustom-aggregating could also be done by an affiliate on behalf of acommunity of users 12. Any affiliate that promotes and closes atransaction for a dynamically bundled subscription will receive theirappropriate revenue share.

The service provides a dynamic pricing and bundling engine forindependent sellers, in which a consumer can purchase a bundle acrosspublishers, and publishers participate in a dynamic pricing approachthat ensures high perceived value for the consumer and a fair share ofrevenue for each publisher in the bundle.

5. Pricing and Payment

A publisher 22 determines acceptable prices for all pay-media packagedcontent items 23. For example, an independent producer filming hisfriends snowboarding, given their production costs, can afford a lowerprice, than, for example, ESPN delivering the a packaged content item 23focused on the Winter X Games. When choosing a video title or lineup theuser 12 is shown the cost for any available economic terms (i.e. rental,pay-to-own, subscription, advertising, etc.).

When paying for a product, users 12 are required to provide paymentaccount information such as a credit card or PayPal account that is usedto authorize and debit purchases. With an account on file, users 12 canpurchase items without having to place items into a “shopping cart” andgo through a formal purchase process.

a. Demand Curve Model

The publisher 22 can set the price of a package according a demand curvemodel. In the demand curve model, a publisher 22 is able to easilypromote content using multiple pricing models that are linked tocharacteristics of different users 12 (most notably the interest of theuser 12 in particular topics, the user's impression of the quality ofthe publisher, etc.) The publisher 22 defines different pricing models(rental, purchase, subscription, advertising, etc) and defines thecontext in which each might be offered.

When a user 12 wishes to share access to content, the multimedia playerprompts the user 12 to share the content by having them provide thecorrect information to contact the target user 12. For example the user12 may provide an email address or Instant Message handle for a friendor family member. The service platform 30 determines whether the emailaddress is registered to an existing user 12 account. If so, the serviceplatform determines the rights of the target consumer to use the content(for example, as a buyer or renter) and delivers the content to thetarget consumer (by means of a link embedded in an email) accordingly.

For a non-registered user 12, the service platform 30 delivers to thetarget user 12 a promotional message and a packaging model (e.g.advertising or rental) that is chosen to optimize the customerexperience and the publisher's revenue. For example, if the packagedcontent item 23 is available only for purchase, the service platform 30may send a message that includes a link to preview the packaged contentitem 23 with instructions for purchasing. The service platform 30tailors the viewer experience according to economic models that thepublisher 22 has established.

B. Publisher Pays

In a publisher pays business model, the publisher 22 distributes contentwithout advertising and without requiring user 12 payment and pays theservice provider for assisting in the distribution of the content. Thepublisher pays a pre-determined fee based on usage.

1. Listing Fees

Listing fees are paid by publishers who sell and operate using theonline service. The primary listing fees include: delivery anddistribution of content; per video product listed per month, with apricing scale that discounts on volume; feature-based listing fees, suchas placement in a category top-level screen, within the service searchresults, or for use of advanced features such as automated video contentindexing, video comments, etc.; value-added services, where publisherspurchase outsourced services from the service on a cost-plus basis,including post-production, encoding and content ingestion services;search engine keyword campaigns; professional design services forbranding; and free content listings. In this model, all of the revenuecollected for listing and value-added services fees are retained by theservice.

After uploading and provisioning videos into the service, a publishercan specify that the video is available for free to users 12. Theservice monitors the usage of the video and invoices the publisher 22.The service tracks all of the video delivered, and based on the pricingand credit terms either invoices or automatically debits an account onfile on a periodic schedule. Publishers are able to get a report thatshows them the total number of videos minutes streamed or titlesdownloaded. These reports show a breakdown of usage based on time andtitle. Publishers are able to set limit caps on the total number ofvideo minutes served and videos downloaded by title and overall permonth for the account. They also may get notification if caps are beingapproached and set rules for what happens when a cap is reached (no morevideo served or notification sent). At any time a publisher maydeactivate free access to immediately change any established policiesthat grant access to the streaming video.

Publishers may also specify that all the videos within a line-up arefree to users 12. In this situation, free access applies when the titleis accessed in the context of the free line-up. For example, if aconsumer was to access the title without reference to the line-up thenthe consumer's access would be restricted to the default economicsassociated with the title. Users 12 are given an option of subscribingto free line-ups.

As an example, a title named “Lions of Africa” has default economics ofa $2.99 rental; the publisher includes “Lions of Africa” within apromotional line-up called “Adventures in Africa” and marks the line-upas publisher pays; the publisher 22 offers the line-up exclusivelythrough a travel oriented web affiliate partner; the title is onlyavailable for rent through the publisher's player; if a user 12 comes tothe publisher's player, the user 12 can rent the title for $2.99; if auser 12 discovers the travel affiliate 24, the user 12 can watch thesame video free of charge (through publisher pays); the user 12 saves areference to the “Adventures in Africa” line-up. The user 12 cancontinue to watch “Lions of Africa” because the context of the line-upis preserved. The user 12 creates a personal line-up (“Future VacationIdeas”) and includes the video title “Lions of Africa”. When the user 12watches “Lions of Africa”, through their personal line-up, the serviceverifies their free access because of the active “Adventures in Africa”line-up. If the publisher 22 were to deactivate the line-up “Adventuresin Africa” then the user 12 would no longer have free access. Theservice would need to inform the user 12 that the title is now onlyavailable for rent.

2. Activation

When a publisher 22 activates publisher pays economics for any video orline-up, the service checks to determine if a valid publisher invoicingaccount is on file. If a valid account is not on file, the systemprompts the publisher 22 to provide a credit card or arrange for apurchase order. A publisher 22 cannot offer a publisher pays video untila valid payment instrument (e.g., a credit card) is available. With freeaccess activated, the publisher 22 may choose from several sub-optionsthat refine the requirements for consumer access, as follows.

3. User Access

In one mode, all users 12 have complete and unconstrained access. Theservice monitors all usage of the video stream and invoices thepublisher by tracking: the publisher ID, affiliate ID, and video ID.This data is periodically summarized and placed into a database tablethat captures per publisher usage charges. The summarized publisher dataincludes: publisher ID, video ID, total minutes, and total charge. Theservice's publisher invoicing system aggregates these records intoinvoice line items, which are eventually netted against any revenue owedthe publisher 22.

From the same data a separate summary table is populated with theassociated affiliate usage including: affiliate ID, video ID, totalminutes, and total revenue. Based on this information, a modestaffiliate margin is rolled into the publisher invoice, and the affiliate24 is compensated for the distribution of content through theirpresentation context 15.

Publishers can define per month usage caps for individual titles, inaggregate for a line-up, and in aggregate across all titles andline-ups. For each of these three levels publishers can specify a“warning threshold”. The threshold value can be specified either inhours or as a monetary unit. When the system recognizes that the warningthreshold has been first exceeded then the system sends the publisher anotification.

In some uses, the user 12 must supply some information before access tothe video stream is granted. In this mode, the publisher 22 can specifythe following meta-data: name (required; unique per publisher); shortdescription (optional); thumbnail (optional). The name is used fortracking and reporting, and the description and image are presented tothe user 12 to help explain the reason for the information request.

The publisher 22 can specify the time code where the gate is introduced.For example, a publisher could specify that the video is interrupted 30seconds or perhaps 5 minutes into the program. The publisher canmanually enter the time code. The publisher selects the categories ofinformation they require for example: name (first+last); email address;mailing address (street+city+state+zip); phone number (area code+3digits+4 digits). At the designated time code, the player pauses thevideo and transitions to the form.

The player presents two user 12 actions: send and cancel. If the viewerhits “send” they are thanked for their submission and the playertransitions and starts playing the video from the point where it waspaused. If the user 12 hits the “cancel” button, the video is stoppedand the video title is brought to the “initial state” (e.g., video stillimage shown). If the user 12 attempts to play the video again, theplayer pauses the video at the same time code breakpoint.

On submission of the collected data, the service records the followingdata elements: publisher ID; affiliate ID; player ID; submission date;“gateway name”; first name; last name; email address; street address;city; state; zip code; phone number. Publishers are able to access thiscollected data from within the publishing console.

4. Usage Reports

Publishers have access to usage reports every day. The publisher console20 presents some basic reports on publisher pays usage. The report dataare presented across a number of different time slices (e.g., per day,per week, per month, per month for the quarter, per month for the year,etc) and can highlight, for example, top 20 publisher pays video titles(by total minutes); top 20 publisher pays video titles (by start playevents); current total invoice amount; and aggregate usage over timewith visual indicator of warning threshold.

The service provides specific reports that provide detailed usage andinvoice data associated with each packaged content item. Publishers areable to specify specific criteria for the output of the report (i.e.date period, title ID or name), for example period start (date); periodend (date); video title ID; video title name; view accesses per title;view time (hours: minutes) per title; average view time per titleaccess; and total charge per title

C. Advertising Supported Content

Publishers are offered the option to include their content in theservice-managed pool of free video content supported by rich mediaadvertising. Publishers provide the service with relevant demographicand content meta-data associated with their content and are able tochoose the number and format of ad insertions associated with theircontent. Advertisement insertions are part of a pool of advertisinginventory that the service sells. In some embodiments, advertisersprovide the service with service-compatible rich media ad formats basedon Macromedia Flash and Flash Video. Advertisers purchase inventory on ablended cost based on impressions and performance. The service deliversthe rich media advertising in-context with the video, and contextuallymatches the consumer, content and advertising on a personalized basis.Revenue generated from the advertising presented to the users 12 isshared amongst the publisher, affiliates and service operator.

D. Affiliate Pays

In an affiliate pays business model, the publisher 22 grants access totheir packaged content items 23 to affiliates. The service tracks all ofthe packaged content items 23 delivered, and based on the pricing andcredit terms either invoices or automatically debits an account on fileon a periodic schedule. Affiliates 24 are able to get a report thatshows them the total number of videos minutes streamed or titlesdownloaded. These reports show a breakdown of usage based on time andtitle. Affiliates 24 are able to set limit caps on the total number ofvideo minutes served and videos downloaded by title and overall permonth for the account. They also may get notification if caps are beingapproached and set rules for what happens when a cap is reached (no morevideo served or notification sent). At any time an affiliate 24 may stopdistributing content provided by a publisher 22.

1. Syndication Fees

For the benefit of having the ability to distribute content throughtheir presentation context 15, the affiliate agrees to pay a syndicationfee. This syndication fee can be brokered and collected by the serviceplatform 30, a portion of which can then be shared with the publisher22. The affiliate pays a pre-determined fee based on usage.

2. User Access

In one mode, all users 12 have complete and unconstrained access. Theservice monitors all usage of the video stream and invoices theaffiliate by tracking: the publisher ID, affiliate ID, and video ID.This data is periodically summarized and placed into a database tablethat captures affiliate usage charges. The summarized data includes:affiliate ID, video ID, total minutes, and total charge. The service'saffiliate invoicing system aggregates these records into invoice lineitems, which are eventually netted against any revenue owed theaffiliate 24.

From the same data a separate summary table is populated with theassociated revenue owed a publisher 22, including: publisher ID, videoID, total minutes, and total revenue.

Affiliates 24 can define per month usage caps for individual titles, inaggregate for a line-up, and in aggregate across all titles andline-ups. For each of these three levels affiliates can specify a“warning threshold”. The threshold value can be specified either inhours or as a monetary unit. When the system recognizes that the warningthreshold has been first exceeded then the system sends the publisher 22a notification.

In some uses, the user 12 must supply some information before access tothe video stream is granted. In this mode, the affiliate can specify thefollowing meta-data: name (required; unique per affiliate); shortdescription (optional); thumbnail (optional). The name is used fortracking and reporting, and the description and image are presented tothe user 12 to help explain the reason for the information request.

The affiliate 22 can specify the time code where the gate is introduced.For example, an affiliate could specify that the video is interrupted 30seconds or perhaps 5 minutes into the program. The affiliate canmanually enter the time code. The affiliate selects the categories ofinformation they require for example: name (first+last); email address;mailing address (street+city+state+zip); phone number (area code+3digits+4 digits). At the designated time code, the player pauses thevideo and transitions to the form.

The player presents two user 12 actions: send and cancel. If the viewerhits “send” they are thanked for their submission and the playertransitions and starts playing the video from the point where it waspaused. If the user 12 hits the “cancel” button, the video is stoppedand the video title is brought to the “initial state” (e.g., video stillimage shown). If the user 12 attempts to play the video again, theplayer pauses the video at the same time code breakpoint.

On submission of the collected data, the service records the followingdata elements: affiliate ID; player ID; submission date; “gateway name”;first name; last name; email address; street address; city; state; zipcode; phone number. Affiliates 24 are able to access this collected datafrom within the affiliate console.

3. Usage Reports

Affiliates 24 have access to usage reports every day. The affiliateconsole 28 presents some basic reports on affiliate pays usage. Thereport data are presented across a number of different time slices(e.g., per day, per week, per month, per month for the quarter, permonth for the year, etc) and can highlight, for example, top 20affiliate pays video titles (by total minutes); top 20 affiliate paysvideo titles (by start play events); current total invoice amount; andaggregate usage over time with visual indicator of warning threshold.

The service provides specific reports that provide detailed usage andinvoice data associated with each packaged content item. Affiliates 24are able to specify specific criteria for the output of the report (i.e.date period, title ID or name), for example period start (date); periodend (date); video title ID; video title name; view accesses per title;view time (hours: minutes) per title; average view time per titleaccess; and total charge per title

III. Business Models

The service platform 30 manages the flow of money in accordance with theapplicable business model. The sources of revenue in the business modelscan include publishers, affiliates, advertisers, and users 12. Therevenue is distributed to publishers, affiliates, and the systemoperator.

A. Open Marketplace

An open marketplace provides a publishing, selling, marketing and user12 experience platform for rights-holders and both a distributed andcentralized end-consumer experience. The content distributor 31 mayoperate one or more open marketplaces as a retail environment that actsa distribution channel for the packaged content items 23 provisioned bythe publishers 22. The content distributor 31 may promote and offer forsale a selection of packaged content items 23 from across a range ofpublishers.

B. Federated Marketplace

The service's federated deployment approach enables publishers todevelop and offer their own co-branded, direct selling and viewerexperience environment for their video titles and lineups, and to bereached through the service's consumer service, as well as generallythrough Internet search engines, weblogs, and affiliates. The serviceallows publishers to create syndication and distribution partners whoparticipate via co-branded affiliate marketing agreements, enabling both“wholesale” and “retail” selling approaches.

1. Federated Delivery

Federated delivery is made possible through a combination of viewerexperiences, their players and Web Services. Web Services enables remotewebsites and applications to access data, business logic and contentfrom the service platform 30. A player enables websites to embed areference to a Macromedia Flash application that is actually deliveredfrom the service platform's servers, but creating the illusion that thecontent is delivered directly from the containing website. In addition,third-party developed Flash applications can include shared libraries,components and delivered media from remote servers and services.

Examples of federated delivery include: a publisher 20 using the serviceto offer their video products through a marketing page created on theirown website that offers previews of their video products; a publisher 20using the service to offer a full viewing experience of their videowithin their own branded destination; an affiliate 24 embedding apromotion and preview of a video in their website; and a user 12maintaining a weblog or “blog” linked to a specific video clip andembedding the experience in their own website. In addition to user 12policy enforcement, the federated delivery service provides policyenforcement for publisher and affiliate remote service usage.

2. Federated Identity

The service uses the single sign-on or “federated identity” approach toallow consumer authentication to happen seamlessly as users 12 movebetween the service and its affiliate's and publisher's sites. This isaccomplished with the federated identity protocols SAML or “SecurityAssertion Markup Language and Liberty”. SAML is an XML-based frameworkthat allows organizations in a trusted network to exchangeauthentication and authorization information. Using these standardsprovides many benefits. Users 12 can access any site in the trustednetwork using a single login. Users 12 are seamlessly signed-on whennavigating to a partner site. Users 12 can perform a single, globallogout. The logout event performs a synchronized session logout acrossall sessions authenticated by the initial authentication provider. Users12 are provided with a federated identity. Their single login grantsthem access to multiple sites without requiring that their user 12information to be stored in a central location. The service enables user12 profile information to be dynamically provisioned into the servicefrom a pre-existing account.

3. Affiliate Relationships

Individual users 12 and companies are given the opportunity to registeras members of an affiliate network. Affiliates are encouraged to promotecontent external to the service website and applications. Contentpublishers can automatically be enrolled into the affiliate program andis encouraged to promote the content they provision into the serviceplatform 30. An “internal” affiliate program may extend the affiliatecompensation model to users 12 of the marketplace that create andpromote personal video lineups. Users 12 might receive a percentage ofthe revenue associated with the internal recommendation.

In the federation model, the presentation aperture 13 in the affiliateweb page serves as a “store front” at which a user 12 can directly andimmediately watch, buy, rent, or subscribe to content (or any otherproduct, for that matter). By contrast, in a conventional model, theaffiliate sites have links that funnel users 12 to a central retail siteand the sale is actually made at the linked retail site. In thefederation model, when the user 12 spends money at the affiliate storefront, the consumer transaction occurs through the affiliate 24presentation context 15. The federation model makes it easier to convertusers 12 into customers by allowing users 12 to watch or purchaseproducts within the context of their current destination. The affiliate24 also receives a cut of revenue from advertising that is part of theviewer experience. The terms of the deal between the publisher 22 andthe affiliate 24 may be determined by interaction through the affiliateconsole 28 and the publisher console 20.

a. Affiliate Application

Any website owner can sign-up to be an affiliate of the service. To dothis, they must provide detailed information about their business andwebsite, agree to the terms of service, provide the service withappropriate payment information (e.g. PayPal account), and allow theservice to properly review their credentials. As part of sign-up, theservice would gather demographic and content information about theirsite, and possibly recommend packaged content items 23 from a variety ofpublishers.

The affiliate console 28 includes tools for browsing a set of publisherpackaged offers, service packaged offers, or creating their own lineupsfrom the content library 32 using tools provided by the service. Once arequest for a title or lineup is made that requires publisher approval,a message is sent to the publisher and that title is marked ‘pending’for the affiliate until it's approved. Once the affiliate 24 has defineda lineup, they can match it to an affiliate player, unless it is apre-packaged player, in which case they can provide whatever custombranding elements are allowed. In the other case, they would customizethe player brand as allowed, and then integrate to their website using apresentation content code 19 provided by the service operator 30. Theaffiliate console 28 would also provide a reports dashboard that allowedthem to view usage, revenue and payments reporting. The console wouldinclude links and references to Affiliate help and FAQ content, as wellas submitting customer service requests.

b. Affiliate Access Control

Publishers have the ability to grant and restrict access to videotitles, line-ups and viewer experiences for affiliates. Publishers maywant to provide specific line-ups or viewer experiences to specificaffiliates. From the affiliate console 28, an affiliate is able to seethe titles, line-ups or viewer experiences that are available to themfrom each publisher.

c. Affiliate Transactions and Payment

The system tracks all transactions that result from affiliates. The twotypes of affiliate sales (direct and indirect) have different commissionstructures. There are two types of affiliate sales: direct and indirect.Direct affiliate sales occur within a Player embedded in an affiliatewebsite or from the result of a referral that results in the immediatetransaction of a pay-media product. Indirect sales are sales resultingfrom general referrals that do not drive transactions for specificproducts. Affiliates have a single active billing account that iscredited based on aggregated referral revenue during the specified payperiod.

Publishers may offer their titles or lineups as packages from which theaffiliate may choose to pay for the costs of distribution, delivery andusage of the packages. The service operator 30 collects payments fromthe affiliate from which the service operator 30 provides the publisherwith any revenue based on the usage of the packages.

The affiliate model enables content publishers to work with online sitesand services to easily market, promote and distribute their videocontent. The broad goals and assumptions for the affiliate services are:enable publishers to reach targeted and niche audiences by enablingwebsite operators focused on those niches to market and distribute theircontent; facilitate powerful forms of distributed editorial and contentprogramming that increase the value and relevance of content toaudiences; provide publishers with mechanisms to easily packageaffiliate offers, and combine pre-sold advertising and brand sponsorshipfor these packages; provide economic uplift and network effects bygiving millions of websites a chance to participate in the economics oftelevision distribution, and add broadband content to their sites;generate network-wide scale for service-enabled advertisers, enablinghigh-quality targeting and broad reach; enable both publishers andaffiliates to operate within an entirely self-service system.

d. Affiliate Distribution

Broadly speaking, there are two approaches to affiliate distribution:publisher packaged and affiliate packaged. The publisher packagedapproach is centered on publishers defining specific packages of contentthat they would like to make available to the service affiliate network.It is characterized by publishers having fine-grained control over thebranding and programming in their package, and the specific affiliateswho can use the content

The affiliate packaged approach is centered on affiliates definingspecific packages of content they would like to promote and syndicate,built from a broad-based library of content available in the service. Itis characterized by affiliates having fine-grained control over thecontent they want to promote, or even by having service dynamicallycreate lineups for their sites based on automated recommendations.

The service affiliate network enables hundreds of thousands of websiteoperators to easily gain access to a massive inventory/library ofrelevant video content for their websites, and to easily promote andsyndicate the content into their sites. In this model, affiliates morefreely create lineups of the library of service content, and offer thatvia affiliate branded players.

e. User Experience and Branding

Publisher control over the branding of the affiliate experience isenabled by a range of ‘Affiliate Player’ templates. The publisher 22 candeeply brand the player container. The publisher 22 can define multipleaffiliate players based on the type of affiliate and the package ofcontent. For example, a content source may create a specific ‘affiliateplayer’ for a WWII package and within that create an affiliate playerthat is geared towards teaser/promotional content with some free,ad-supported products, and one that is a full pay media package viewinto the WWII library, and yet another that is simply a previews & linksplayer that drives the users 12 back to their own website to purchasethe subscription product.

Packages support both ‘promotional players’ (e.g., marketing links, withlink referral mechanism) and syndicated content players (e.g., wherefull content is viewed in affiliate website). Players also supportAffiliate co-branding—e.g., affiliate has ability to provide one or morebrand assets that match the template and incorporate their own brandinginto the experience. A publisher 22 could optionally allow the affiliateto set colors and styles to match their website.

4. Revenue Sharing

The service collected revenues may be shared and distributed. Grossrevenues from pay and advertising revenue may be shared between anaffiliate 24, a publisher 22, and the service operator. Any websiteowner can become an affiliate of the service in a self-service manner.Leads and transactions are tracked from the affiliate through theservice or a federated service co-branded with the service. In someembodiments, affiliates receive 10-15% of gross revenue.

After affiliate deductions, the publisher 22 receives a portion of therevenue. In some embodiments the publisher's portion is approximately70% of the revenue. The service provides publishers with detailed usagereporting so that publishers can determine any royalties they need topay associated with their rights. The service is not responsible forpaying any royalties associated with publisher rights.

After affiliate and publisher deductions, the service collects theremaining portion of the revenue. In some embodiments, the servicecollects approximately 30% of the revenue.

As one specific example, suppose that over a 1-year period, a smallaction sports video publisher offers five (5) 40 minute videos throughthe service. The publisher packages these videos for rental, forpurchase, and as a bundled subscription. The publisher also offers oneof the videos for free with advertising, but are doing this primarily asa marketing vehicle to attract users 12 to pay media, as they do notexpect sufficient impressions to return their cost of production. Thepublisher prices rentals at $3, purchases at $10, and an annual bundledsubscription to all five videos for $30. The publisher's products areoffered through a variety of sports-related affiliates and websites,which drives approximately 50% of the transactions with their content.Over the course of the year, 10,000 users 12 rent at least one video,3,000 users 12 purchase at least one video, and 1,000 users 12 purchasethe bundled subscription. The free product is viewed by 140,000 users 12over the course of the year. Revenue for this scenario would work asfollows: listing fees. $50/month or $600 in annual revenue to theservice; gross revenue: rentals=$30,000 annual, purchase=$30,000 annual,subscriptions=$30,000 annual, advertising=$7,000 annual, total=$100,000;revenue share: total affiliate revenue=$100 k*50%*15%=$7,500; publisherrevenue=$92,500*70%=$65,000; the service revenue=$92,500*30%=˜$28,000.

When a user 12 purchases content through an affiliate, during thetransaction process the multimedia player 16 provides the ID of theaffiliate to whom the purchase is to be credited, and a referral typecode (direct or indirect, or even some other category). When the invoiceis processed and accepted, a payable item is added to the correspondingaffiliate's current account, and a separate payable item is added to thecorresponding publisher's current account. Note that the addition of thepayable item is only done after the customer sales order has beenprocessed. This way, the revenue is secured before paying out to thepublisher 22 and the affiliate 24.

IV. Components of the Content Distribution System

The components of the content distribution system 10 can be implemented,at least in part, in digital electronic circuitry, analog electroniccircuitry, or in computer hardware, firmware, software, or incombinations of them. The components of the content distribution system10 can be implemented as a computer program product, i.e., a computerprogram tangibly embodied in an information carrier, e.g., in amachine-readable storage device or in a propagated signal, for executionby, or to control the operation of, data processing apparatus, e.g., aprogrammable processor, a computer, or multiple computers. A computerprogram can be written in any form of programming language, includingcompiled or interpreted languages, and it can be deployed in any form,including as a stand-alone program or as a module, component,subroutine, or other unit suitable for use in a computing environment. Acomputer program can be deployed to be executed on one computer or onmultiple computers at one site or distributed across multiple sites andinterconnected by a communication network.

Method steps associated with content distribution system 10 can beperformed by one or more programmable processors executing a computerprogram to perform functions of the invention by operating on input dataand generating an output. Method steps can also be performed by, andapparatus of the invention can be implemented as, special purpose logiccircuitry, e.g., an FPGA (field programmable gate array) or an ASIC(application-specific integrated circuit).

Processors suitable for the execution of a computer program include, byway of example, both general and special purpose microprocessors, andany one or more processors of any kind of digital computer. Generally, aprocessor will receive instructions and data from a read-only memory ora random access memory or both. The essential elements of a computer area processor for executing instructions and one r more memory devices forstoring instructions and data. Generally, a computer will also include,or be operatively coupled to receive data from or transfer data to, orboth, one or more mass storage devices for storing data, e.g., magnetic,magneto-optical disks, or optical disks. Information carriers suitablefor embodying computer program instructions and data include all formsof non-volatile memory, including by way of example, semiconductormemory devices, e.g., EPROM, EEPROM, and flash memory devices; magneticdisks, e.g., internal hard disks or removable disks; magneto-opticaldisks; and CD-ROM and DVD-ROM disks. The processor and the memory can besupplemented by, or incorporated in special purpose logic circuitry.

Other embodiments are also within the scope of the following claims.

1.-15. (canceled)
 16. A method comprising enabling a first user toelectronically refer a digital content items to a second user, and inconnection with the referral, enabling a publisher of the digitalcontent item to control a context in which and a financial conditionunder which the digital content item may be presented to the other user.17. The method of claim 16, further comprising prompting the second userto register upon determining that the second user is not a registeredmember.
 18. The method of claim 16, wherein a context comprises sendinga preview of the digital content item to the second user withinstructions for purchasing the digital content item. 19.-26. (canceled)27. A method comprising providing a central service that enablespublishers to publish digital content items through the service directlyat retail for presentation to users for compensation, the centralservice also enabling the publishers to electronically establishrelationships with affiliates to permit the publishers to publish thedigital content items through the service and the affiliates indirectlyat wholesale for presentation by the affiliates to the users forcompensation.
 28. The method of claim 27 further comprising enabling thepublishers to grant and restrict access to digital content items foraffiliates.
 29. The method of claim 27 further comprising providing theaffiliates with a list of digital content items that are available tothem from each of the publishers.
 30. The method of claim 27 furthercomprising enabling the affiliates to define packages of the digitalcontent items, wherein the packages include at least one of a rental,subscription, purchase, and a discount applied to a bundle of mediacontent items.
 31. The method of claim 27, further comprising enablingthe affiliates to define packages of the digital content items, whereinthe affiliate pays the cost of distribution and delivery and thepublisher is compensated for the usage and viewing of the digitalcontent items. 32.-39. (canceled)